


Flower Boy

by myfandomruinedmylife



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Cuties, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Siblings, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron)-centric, Korean Keith (Voltron), Light Angst, M/M, Moving In Together, Mutual Pining, No Smut, Not Beta Read, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-05-16 05:20:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 19
Words: 51,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14805140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myfandomruinedmylife/pseuds/myfandomruinedmylife
Summary: “Just tell me your name and I’ll be on my way,” Lance had an air of confidence around him, and Keith rolled his eyes, running his hand through his messy black hair to get it out of his face.“It’s Keith,” the teenager mumbled, tucking a strand behind his ear and glancing back at Lance warily. He’d only leaned forward, hand cupping behind his ear when Keith had spoken. “I’m sorry, what was that?”Keith pursed his lips, clenching his jaw and crossing his arms. He then let out a low groan, swatting Lance’s hand away when he’d tried to retuck Keith’s hair behind his ear where it had fallen out of its spot. “My name is Keith Kogane.”Lance mouthed his name silently, no sound leaving his chapped, pink lips as he tested out the syllables. He hummed, then, shaking his head in the slightest. “I, personally, think Flower Boy suits you better.”“My name isn't Flower Boy.”“We’ll see about that, handsome. We’ll see.”





	1. Chapter 1

Our story begins with a murderous scream of frustration.

And by frustration, I mean a twenty-seven-year-old man beating his tired, seventeen-year-old brother with an old red slipper, murmuring light profanities under his breath.

Said brother wasn’t exactly helping his case, however, instead attempting to burrow into his old, ratty bed sheets that smelled of body odor as if he could magically transform into a gopher and disappear forever.

“Keith, if you don’t get your pale ass out of this bed by the time I count to _three,_ I will personally throw your PlayStation out the window.”

Met with silence, he glared down at the unmoving mass that had curled up under his black and gray comforter, appearing to be completely asleep. The man waited a few seconds more with baited breath as the boy slowly blinked one eye open, glancing around the room before locking with his older brother’s. He didn’t give him any time to respond before he whispered, just loud enough to be audible, “Mario Kart sends its regards, bitch.”

Takashi Shirogane-Kogane had aged far too much in the past seventeen years, and, although he was technically only six years old, the leap year baby sure was tired of Keith’s shit.

_“Keith,”_ Shiro groaned, and, when the boy didn’t respond, the man sighed, shaking his head and bunching the end of his sheets up so he could get a good hold on them. “I didn’t want it to come to this, buddy.”

Shiro’s younger brother screeched when the warm, fluffy comforter was ripped off of him, leaving his bare skin - nothing but his bright red boxers adorning his body - exposed to the frigid air.

“Shiro!” The Korean cried out, violet eyes snapping open while he desperately tried to snatch the blanket his brother had balled up and was holding just out of Keith’s reach. Keith’s long, inky black hair had fallen into his eyes, and he brushed it away, goosebumps running up his arms as a desperate whine escaped his chapped lips.

Shiro only quirked an eyebrow when Keith groaned, drooped his shoulders, told him to go fuck himself, and finally sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes like a child. Shiro threw the blanket onto the mattress next to where Keith sat, grinning proudly and choosing to ignore the comment. He reached out and ruffled Keith’s hair when his brother snapped his signature cold glare to where he stood.

“C’mon, Keith,” Shiro jerked his chin to the doorway, crossing his arms. “You have school today. You’re gonna be late if you don’t get up.”

“Do I have to?” Keith dragged a hand down his face, bleary eyes slowly focusing on the room around him. “I mean, _really_ think about it, Takashi. Can I just stay home?”

“That’s funny,” Shiro deadpanned. “Get the hell up, Keith.”

Keith sighed when his brother grabbed his arm, lightly pulling him to his feet and ushering him to his dresser. Shiro finally left with a yawn, and Keith grumbled to himself as he pulled out a loose red t-shirt, slipping it on and snatching some skinny jeans out of his bottom drawer.

And this is how he found himself after a few minutes had passed, cursing the world while he hopped across the matted eggshell carpet on one foot, his other leg attempting to push through what appeared to be the only hole left in those god-forsaken pants.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of struggle, he collapsed back onto his bed, panting as if he’d just ran a marathon while a point behind his right eyebrow started to throb from the strain. His legs were suffocating, screaming in protest, but he paid no mind as he slowly sat up, exhaling as hard as he could and patting his cheeks gently, as if that would help him wake up more.

The boy combed his fingers through his hair, content with being left alone to get ready. It gave him a small confidence boost, and after playing with his dark locks for a few seconds, he glanced at himself in the mirror. Biting his lip gently, Keith finally took a section and threaded it together, tucking the small braid behind his ear when he was finished tying it off with a rubber band.

Finally ready to face the world (or, as ready as he could possibly be at 6:45 in the goddamn morning), Keith let out another long breath and pushed his bedroom door open, bare feet dragging down the hardwood floor. He begrudgingly pushed through the darkened hallway and into the kitchen.

“How long are you staying?” Keith asked his big brother, glancing down at the bowl of Cheerios Shiro had placed on the table for him as soon as he’d seen Keith enter the room.

“A few weeks,” Shiro shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m heading back to California after you finish school, probably.”

Keith nodded, and, if it weren’t for the sake of his pride, he most definitely would have dropped to his knees and begged Shiro to stay longer. Instead, he said nothing, pursing his lips and shoveling spoonfuls into his mouth so he wouldn’t have to comment.

Shiro smiled gently, reaching out and affectionately ruffling Keith’s hair, before pulling on his shoes and heading out the door of their small home. Keith had swatted his hands away, ducking from his brother’s touch, but, secretly, he loved it more than anything - craved it, even.

He would just never admit it to Shiro himself.

Down the hall, he faintly heard a bedroom door opening, soft footfalls padding across the hardwood floor as the culprit bumped their shoulder into the wall, letting out an obnoxious yawn. “Ready to go, moron?”

Keith’s mood would have soured had it been anyone else other than his younger brother, Dominic, who had appeared just behind him.

“You know it, idiot,” Keith quipped, scooping up his empty cereal bowl and setting it into the sink. Without hesitating, Keith reached out and ruffled Dom’s short black hair, causing the fourteen-year-old to gripe and push his hand away.

Keith winced to himself as the door to Dom’s room slammed open, hitting the wall while someone else stumbled out in a frenzy.

“Shit! Shit, don’t leave!” A familiar, panicked voice met Keith’s ears, and he couldn’t help but grin behind his hand as another boy darted down the hall to meet them in the kitchen. “I need a fucking ride, Kogane!”

“Nice to see you too, Oliver,” Keith greeted Dominic’s best friend, who was struggling towards them, trying to slip his shirt over his head. Dominic snorted, trying to muffle the sound with his hand before the blond-haired boy could strike him upside the head, mumbling obscenities to himself when he finally managed to get dressed.

Keith grabbed one of Dom’s hoodies off of the coat rack, throwing it in his brother’s face without warning. He groaned, peeling it away as Keith held open the door with his hip, adjusting his favorite jacket and combing his fingers through his messy hair.

“I’m fine, Keith,” Dominic rolled his eyes, before turning and pushing the hoodie towards Oliver. “He needs it more than me. Look at him, the kid’s skin and bones!”

“How dare you? I’m made of muscle, jackass,” Oliver retorted, but shrugged on the jacket nonetheless with a small, impish grin decorating his lips. Oliver - to Keith, at least - looked utterly adorable; Dom’s faded red hoodie was just a bit too big on him to the point it had slipped off of his shoulder slightly.

“Let’s go,” Dominic pushed past his brother, Oliver not a second behind. Keith closed the door behind them while they started to make their way toward Keith’s old, rusting car.

The middle Kogane brother slid into the driver’s seat without thinking, reaching up and buckling his seatbelt while he waited for the others to file in. Dominic and Oliver paused simultaneously, glancing to the other with wary eyes. Dom cleared his throat uncertainly. “Uh... Keith?”

“Yeah?” Keith’s eyes flicked back to the dynamic duo before he paused, quickly scanning the back of his car. “Oh, shit.”

The backseat was filled with random bags, boxes, (courtesy of late-night 711 runs to keep him awake long enough to study for Midterms) and oddly-smelling laundry that was overdue to be washed.

He pursed his lips in thought, before sighing and turning back to the dashboard, plugging the key into the ignition. “We won’t have enough time to clean it out.” His lips twitched into the smallest of smirks. “Just share the passenger seat; you guys are small enough, I’m sure.”

Keith pretended not to notice the crimson blush that had almost instantly spread across his brother’s cheeks, or the way Oliver blinked at him innocently, pushing his hair out of his emerald eyes. “It’s not that far to school, anyway, so I don’t really care.”

Dominic had turned to glare at Keith with the power of a thousand suns, face burning as he raised his eyebrows and sighed exasperatedly, appearing lost. When Keith only quirked an eyebrow at him in response, hiding his smirk behind his hand, Dominic reluctantly slid in, before turning to face Keith with a small sigh of relief as his shoulders relaxed. “We won’t fit.”

“It’s fine!” Oliver grinned, climbing in after Dom and swinging the door shut before dropping onto the younger boy’s lap. Dominic jolted back at the contact (his cheeks were redder than before, if that was even possible), not daring to breathe as Oliver relaxed, sliding the seat belt over them both and nodding at Keith to start the drive, _completely_ oblivious to Dom’s (extremely obvious) crush, or how he looked like he wanted to physically cremate his brother with his own two hands.

“Let’s go, then,” Keith laughed through his nose, pursing his lips to hide his smile.

Oliver yawned, dropping his head onto Dom’s shoulder to get more comfortable as Keith’s brother tensed once more, hands hesitantly raised half-way into the air as if he didn’t know where to place them.

The atmosphere of the car ride was practically burning with one-sided sexual tension, if that was even possible, and Keith resisted the urge to laugh as Dominic hid his expression in Oliver’s soft, white-blond hair, the complete contrast to Dom’s inky black locks.

Keith pulled up to their high school in no time, and Oliver yawned again, covering his mouth gingerly as Dominic fumbled with the door handle, eager to get the fifteen-year-old off of him. Keith watched the sophomores exit his old Jeep, actually laughing aloud when Dominic turned just long enough to flip him off.

And then they were gone. Keith was left, waiting in his running car. He was a Junior now, and he didn’t like it one bit.

The shrill, electronic bell rang out from inside the building - the one-minute warning for students to get to class - and Keith made up his mind. He slid out of his car, shoving his hands into his pockets and started his journey to the quiet shops just around the corner. He was headed the opposite direction of his school - not that he cared, really - biting down on his lip thoughtfully.

The bookstore he entered next was small and quaint, and the librarian tiredly smiled at Keith in greeting before glancing back to the manuscript on the desk before her. Keith didn’t exactly know what his intention was when he’d stepped inside the store that smelled of home, nor did he know why he was suddenly drawn to the back of the building, where they sold children’s fiction and romance.

What he _was_ greeted by when he’d ducked into the back corner, however, was a boy his age, hunched over into an uncomfortable looking, suspicious crouch, while he fiddled with his slide-phone, thumbs flying across the dimly-lit screen while humming a tune Keith recognized as _Hips Don’t Lie_ by Shakira.

More or less, it was definitely _not_ what he had expected upon wandering over there.

“If you skipped school just to go to the bookstore, I would really recommend actually purchasing a manuscript rather than organizing a drug heist,” Keith decided to make his presence known to the stranger, (who looked about as oblivious as a rock stranded in space) rather passive-aggressively, eyes browsing the shelves in front of him. He pretended not to notice when the boy’s head snapped up, dark skin contrasting to his bright blue eyes that widened at the unexpected greeting.

Keith didn’t spare him a glance when he heaved a breath, clutching his shirt - the opposite side of where his heart would be located - and falling back so he was sitting. “Jesus, I thought you were a teacher for a second there. Don’t just go around _saying_ things like that!” He paused. “Wait, did you say drug heist?”

Keith pulled a book from the shelf, absently flipping through the pages that smelt of crisp pine before reading through the synopsis on the back.

“I’m not a stoner, first of all,” the teenager chatted on, oblivious to Keith’s posture, growing increasingly tense. “Why was that your first thought; ‘oh look at this perfectly normal, exceedingly attractive young man on the ground at my feet. Hm... must be a druggie.’ Who _thinks_ like that?”

Keith still hadn’t even glanced at him, and the boy huffed, seemingly offended. “And second of all-” A pause. Out of the corner of his eye, Keith saw him wrinkle his nose slightly. “Wait, you’re in my Civics. Why aren’t _you_ at school, hm?”

Keith, against his better judgment, turned to look at him. “I didn’t want to go today.”

The boy snorted, but said nothing more, tucking his phone into his back pocket. “Hey, same. The name’s Lance, b-t-dubs. Lance McClain.”

“I know who you are,” Keith rolled his eyes while his memory started clearing, staring at the hand Lance had offered to him until the Cuban slowly retracted it. “You’re literally the most obnoxious person in our grade.”

Keith had already turned back to the shelf, and he slid the book he was looking at back to where he’d gotten it and grabbed another, praying Lance would get the hint and leave him alone.

It was silent for almost a full fifty-seven seconds, and Keith let out a long breath, shoulders relaxing, not daring to glance over at Lance to see what he was doing.

Finally, some peace and quiet.

“So what’s your name, then? You kinda look like a Stephen. Oh, oh, no. Forget I said that. You look like some type of flower name. Rose. Is your name Rose? I will actually cry if your name is Rose.”

“First of all;” Keith ground his teeth together, taking the bait against his will. “Rose is a girl’s name. Second of all; no, my name is not Rose.”

“Fine, fine. You win, Daisy,” Lance’s grin was back, and Keith groaned, hating the way the boy’s ocean blue eyes twinkled in amusement.

“What’s your problem?” Keith finally managed, placing the book back and turning, trailing out of the section with no destination in mind. He pursed his lips and clenched his fists when Lance walked right out alongside him.

“Just tell me your name and I’ll be on my way,” Lance had an air of confidence around him, and Keith rolled his eyes, running his hand through his messy black hair to get it out of his face.

“It’s Keith,” the teenager mumbled, tucking a strand behind his ear and glancing back at Lance warily. He’d only leaned forward, hand cupping behind his ear when Keith had spoken. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

Keith pursed his lips, clenching his jaw and crossing his arms. He then let out a low groan, swatting Lance’s hand away when he’d tried to retuck Keith’s hair behind his ear when it had fallen out of its spot. “My name is Keith Kogane.”

Lance mouthed his name silently, no sound leaving his chapped, pink lips as he tested out the syllables. He hummed, then, shaking his head in the slightest. “I, personally, think Flower Boy suits you better.”

“My name isn't Flower Boy.”

“We’ll see about that, handsome. We’ll see.”


	2. Chapter 2

Something had been off about Dominic from the moment he’d stepped out of the school building. 

Keith had greeted his little brother and Oliver with a raised eyebrow and two frappuccinos he’d bought for them. Oliver had instantly grinned (a typical Oliver reaction) upon seeing Keith, gratefully taking the drink from his hand and sipping quietly. Dom, on the other hand, never spoke, turning down Keith’s offer with a shake of his head. He pursed his lips and cast his eyes to the ground, ducking under Keith’s inquisitive gaze. Oliver glanced at him periodically, and when Keith shot him a questioning look, the boy only shrugged, as confused as Keith was.

Dominic’s day had only gotten worse when Keith had attempted to turn the keys in the ignition of his Jeep, only to be greeted with a few, half-hearted sputters from the machine, followed by silence. 

_ Great. _

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose, and Oliver touched his arm gently, trying to be comforting while he peered inside of the car. “Is something wrong with the wiring, or is she just completely out of gas?”

“Gas,” Keith murmured glumly, patting the roof of his baby gently and sighing into his other hand. “I was supposed to fill her up last night, but it completely slipped my mind until just now. I’m lucky she made it to Tim Horton’s and back to the school. She should have died before that.”

“I’m sorry, man,” Oliver bit his lip sympathetically, glancing back to where Dom stood solemnly a few feet away. “Dom, you good to walk back to your house? Red’s outta gas.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Dominic murmured, eyes cast downward as he played with a blade of grass with the toe of his shoe. Keith furrowed his eyebrows. “Dom, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Dominic snapped, fiddling with the bottom of his shirt and refusing to meet Keith’s eyes, which only worried him further. He and Shiro would team up to interrogate the kid later, if it came to that.

For now, he let the subject drop, ruffling his brother’s hair and crossing his arms. “Let’s go, then.” Keith sighed, dipping his head and allowing Dom and Oliver to slip past him.

It wasn't like it was an extremely long walk, the house was only about twenty minutes away; Keith was just put off by the fact that he knew his lungs and muscles the same would be burning as he never exercised in his spare time.

The teenager was silent as he observed the pair ahead of him, tucking his cold fingers snug into his pockets. Oliver’s hand was still featherlight on Dom’s arm, and Keith’s mouth twitched when his brother finally gave in, raising his hand and grasping the cuff of Oliver’s sleeve loosely.

Five minutes into the walk, Keith was already hit with the beginning of something similar to fatigue. He felt pathetic, honestly, at the sheer amount of aching he’d felt burning through his joints after just a few minutes of speed walking.

The sound of an engine revving down the street behind the group alerted Keith’s attention, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Before anyone even had time to glance behind them, Keith, almost subconsciously, stepped forward and pushed the boys away from the road, shielding them the only way he knew how.

When nothing immediately crashed into him, the base tone of an electric guitar pulsing through the ground while fireworks burned into the sky, Keith took it upon himself to glance behind the group of three cautiously. A sky blue Chevy with tinted windows was closely tailing them, and Keith’s heart started to pound faster in his chest when the truck didn't continue down the road, instead slowing to a stop with the headlights glinting and the engine humming softly. 

Keith turned his attention back to the boys, hands on their upper backs as he pushed them forward at a slightly increased pace. He ducked down slightly so his head was ear-level. “When I say run,” Keith murmured lowly. “We’re going to fucking bolt, we clear?”

The Korean’s ears pricked when the car doors unlocked behind him, and his muscles coiled in anticipation as the driver’s side slowly started to swing open.

“Ready?” Keith counted in his head with baited breath. “Three... Two...”

“Flower?”

Of fucking  _ course. _

Keith’s posture instantly bristled at the unwanted nickname, and Dominic turned his dim violet eyes to his brother, Oliver following shortly after.

“Flower?” Lance quirked an eyebrow, drawing nearer. “Flower, what the quiznak are you doing out here?”

“Keith?” Oliver asked, wrinkling his nose in confusion. He tugged his hand through his slightly curly, white-blond locks as his cautious emerald eyes flicked between Dom’s brother and the newcomer.

“Car broke down,” Dominic directed his words at Lance in lieu of a hello, folding his hands uncertiantly. It surprised Keith and Oliver the same, but he continued on anyway, voice hoarse. “We’re walking home.”

Lance didn't even take half a second to think, instead jerking his chin in the direction of his car. “Hop in. I’ll drive you.”

“No way.” Like Lance, Keith said the first thing that had come to mind. “No chance in hell I’m getting in a car that you’re driving. You’ll crash us into a tree.”

Lance hummed. “For your information; I am the best driver you will ever meet. Just ask Blue, she’ll vouch for me.

“I will get into that death machine,” Keith held up a finger to quiet him when Lance opened his mouth smugly. “But  _ only _ if I get to drive it.”

“No; no way.” Lance objected instantly, arms crossed firmly across his chest. “Nice try, Daisy, but you’re not going anywhere near that wheel.”

It was a stare-off, then, with stiff shoulders and cold glares the same that suffocated the air around the small group.  Glancing back to Oliver and Dominic, Keith sighed upon observing the frustrated, hopeless glint dancing in his little brother’s eyes. The sooner they got back to the house, the likelier it was that he would tell Keith what was bothering him.

“Fine,” Keith finally snapped, flicking his eyes down to his worn, red sneakers in distaste. It took every last shred of his remaining willpower not to lash out and strangle Lance when the teenager smirked cockily at his response and dramatically beckoned for them to follow him back to his Chevy.

Keith was grumbling quietly the entire walk down, sliding into the passenger seat dejectedly while the rest of the group waited patiently in the back. Lance revved the engine, and Keith swallowed. He sent a quick prayer to the big man in the sky before turning to clutch onto his fraying seatbelt for dear life in anticipation of what was to come.

“Aw, come on, Keith,” Oliver tried to reassure him, but one glance into the rearview mirror showed he was clinging to Dom’s arm just as tightly. Dom wrapped an arm around Oliver’s shoulders, and the blond boy leaned into his side, gripping Dom’s jacket that was still draped over his arms. “I’m sure it won't be that-”

The rest of Oliver’s sentence went unheard under Keith’s scream of terror when Lance, out of nowhere, gunned the engine once more and suddenly all of the breath was sucked out of his lungs. He jerked back into his seat as the car tore down the road ahead of them.

Keith was screaming, Oliver was screaming, Dom was screaming - hell, Keith even thought he’d heard Lance yelp a little. In the next instant, however, Lance’s eyes flitted over to Keith’s unnaturally pale face and that familiar smirk quirked his lips up. “You know, I was a fighter pilot in another life.”

“More like a cargo pilot!” Dom squeaked, curling into Oliver’s side as they clutched each other for dear life.

“They call me the tailor,” Lance chattered on, unphased by Dom’s comment, and suddenly Keith was screaming again, clutching Lance’s arm out of reflex when the car suddenly jerked to the right, narrowly swerving out of the way of a tree. “Because of how I  _ thread the needle!” _

“You...!” Keith was going to throw up. “Are the worst... Pilot... Ever!”

“Shh,” Lance reached over and grabbed Keith’s hand comfortingly, where it had been resting on his arm. Keith instantly retracted his hand in distaste, of course, lips puckering into a frown. Lance snorted at the action, rolling his eyes and glancing back at the sophomores in the back. “Everyone good back there?”

“We’re fine,” Dominic snapped, and Keith frowned upon noticing he’d detached himself from Oliver, huffing and turning to the window with cold eyes. 

“I’m just thankful you haven't killed us, man,” Oliver’s eyes sparkled, and his lips twitched up.

“Olive, you seem unnaturally happy today.” Keith pointed out, quirking an eyebrow. “At least, considering the fact that it’s  _ Monday.” _

“Oh, yeah,” Oliver brightened, sitting up a little straighter. Keith didn't miss the way Dom’s eyes hands clenched or the way he’d squeezed his eyes shut as if he were about to cry. Oliver grinned proudly, oblivious to Dom’s mood change. “I finally screwed up enough courage to ask Chloe out today.”

It took Keith a second to register the words coming out of Oliver’s mouth. That didn’t explain why Dom...

Oh.

_ Oh. _

“Eyy, a ladies man,” Lance met Oliver’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “How’d it go, kid? Tell me all the details.”

“I’m only, like, a year younger than you.” Oliver scowled, but it quickly slipped off of his face as a smile took over. “Okay, so she was standing by the drinking fountain, talking with her friends, being perfect, as usual,” he broke Lance’s gaze to turn and nudge Dom in the side. “And then, and then this guy here, Dom was all ‘she’ll probably never be into you, you know. You shouldn’t get all hung up on her, man.’”

Lance hummed to show he was listening, taking a sharp turn that had Keith’s heart pounding in his throat as his hands tightened around the seat belt.

“I know, right? Great wingman, he is. Anyway, I say to him, ‘dude, am I sensing a challenge?’ and Dom denied it, of course, because he knows I’ll never back down from a challenge. And he was right. I was all, ‘mhm, I’m gonna go prove you wrong,’ and then I walked right up to her and asked her if she wanted to be my girlfriend. Chloe Lichtenberg, man, she’s so cute. You should’ve been there. She glanced back at her friends, who were just edging her on. She said yes in no time, and I went back to rub it in Dom’s face.”

Lance’s eyes were glancing between the road, Oliver, and Dominic in the rearview mirror, lips pursed as if deep in thought. “And... Dom?”

“What?” Dominic met Lance’s eyes, and when bitterness danced in his irises until he tore them away, Keith felt his own heart start to crack. “Dom...”

_ “What?” _ Dom snapped again, glaring out the window, before something like recognition flashed across his features. “Oliver, this is your street.”

“Yeah?” The blond glanced out the window, before a smile lit his face again and he grabbed Dom’s arm excitedly, not noticing how his friend winced at the contact. “Oh, yeah! Hey, my house is right up there. You can just drop me off; I have a key.”

“Mmkay,” Lance was unusually quiet, and he slowly pulled the car up onto the curb in front of them. Oliver patted Dominic’s shoulder, smiling at him so genuinely Keith felt like he was being blinded. His grin faltered when Dom didn’t meet his eyes, but he said nothing, giving his hand a quick squeeze before he slid out of the car and hopped onto the sidewalk, humming a tune Keith didn’t recognize with an added bounce in his step.

The old Chevy didn't move as the boy continued down the sidewalk in front of them, and Keith and Lance were silent as the engine hummed gently.

“Hey, man,” Lance’s voice was soft, and he turned back to where Dominic sat, now completely isolated, watching as the kid’s lip trembled and his fists clenched as if he were clinging to every last shred of willpower he had left not to burst into tears.

“Dominic,” Keith didn’t know what to say to comfort his brother. “I’m so sorry...”

“What are you sorry for?” Dom snapped instantly, curling into himself, almost protectively. “I don’t care. It doesn’t  _ matter.  _ It doesn’t affect me. Why should I be so concerned that-” his voice broke, and Lance and Keith winced simultaneously, glancing over at each other uneasily as they waited for Dominic to finish.

“He’s always Mr. Perfect, you know? Super attractive, gets good grades, always gets the girl in the end. Because that’s just how it plays out, right? The guy and the girl fall for each other and have millions of kids just like them. There’s no room in that picture for me, okay? I know that. So why does it-” Dom’s voice caught again, and he faltered, squeezing his eyes shut as if he couldn’t bear to view the world around him. “So why does it  _ hurt  _ so much?”

Keith’s mouth had fallen open, but he found himself speechless. He didn't know what to say or do or react to anything that was tumbling out of his brother’s mouth. And, judging by the crumbling look of vulnerability that had woven itself into Dom’s expression, Keith’s window to act was closing.

“Tell you what we’re gonna do,” Lance was on top of his game, making sense of the situation and offering a solution whereas Keith didn’t even know where to begin. Emotions were never his area; he’d always relied on Shiro to comfort him and his brother alike when faced with something like this.

“What you’re experiencing right now is called heartache,” the boy in the driver’s seat continued. “I-” he stopped, eyes flicking down. “I... have enough sisters to know exactly what that’s like. The only way to work through this is to swamp yourself in blankets with a tub of ice cream and a movie marathon to keep your mind off of things. That’s it-” Lance decided quickly, not allowing Keith any time to object. “We’re headed to my house and we’re helping you through this with the power of Mean Girls and The Notebook and possibly some Star Wars thrown in there. We’re going to have a sleepover right this very second; no ifs ands or buts about it.”

“But-” Keith objected, swallowing his words when Lance pressed a finger to his chapped lips to shut him up, gazing over at him with the most deadpan expression. “The hell did I  _ just _ say?”

With one more strong, sure glare sent in his direction, Keith grumbled his agreement, too tired to argue with Lance for, what, the third time today? He would just send a quick text to Shiro explaining their absence, and pray to every God he knew of that Lance wasn’t actually a serial killer who was just luring them into a trap to torture them or something.

_ This is for your brother,  _ Keith reminded himself over and over as Lance shifted into drive and unsteadily teetered off of the curb, the car bouncing and complaining once it had been thrust onto the even terrain, speeding down the street with no warning.

_ This is for your brother. This is for your brother. This is for your brother.  _ Keith squeezed his eyes shut and let out a long breath.  _ God, save us. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch. Three**

“Má! ¡Estoy en casa y traje invitados! ¿Dónde estás?” Lance greeted when he’d stepped into the short, wide household that smelled of peppermint and baked-goods.

Keith and Dom were hanging back, and Keith glanced down at where his brother was standing uncertainly by his side. “You’re taking Spanish, right?”

“This is your fault for learning Italian, Keith,” Dominic sighed dramatically, but quietly translated nonetheless. “‘Mom, I’m home and I brought guests... Where are you?’”

“She’s out shopping, idiot!” A feminine, lightly accented voice shouted back from somewhere in another room. “Who have you brought this time? I swear to God, Lance, if you pulled another goddamn prank on Mrs. Guttovz and she finally called the police like she’s been saying she...” A teenager poked her head into the room, running paint-splattered hands through her already-messy brown locks, just like Lance’s. Her crystal blue eyes widened slightly at the sight of Keith and Dom, who were awkwardly standing in the doorway next to her brother.

“Daniela, this is Dominic and-” Lance paused, lips moving to form a name but no sound came out. “And... And Keith. Dom and Keith.”

Keith’s name sounded foreign on Lance’s tongue; you could tell by the way he seemed to sound it out as if he were a toddler beginning to read for the first time. Still, an odd, tingling sensation darted down Keith’s spine when Lance had introduced him; an emotion or feeling he couldn’t quite identify.

Daniela’s lips twitched up as she stepped further into the room, holding out a hand for Keith. “Hey, nice to meet you. I’m-” something flickered in the girl’s eyes; and if Keith hadn’t known any better, he’d say it was similar to distaste. Not at him, not at anyone in the room. It was just... Sheer uncomfortableness. Her next words were uncomfortably choked out, as if on their own accord. “I’m Daniela.”

“Nice to meet you,” Keith repeated as she shook hands with Dominic as well. 

Daniela was adorned in an oversized, men’s shirt--perhaps from an old boyfriend--that was tucked into her brown overalls securely, different colored paints of various intensities were splattered all over her outfit, making her appearance seem almost cartoonish. Upon further inspection, Keith noticed, a discarded paintbrush was tucked behind her ear, a soft shade of yellow still decorating the tip.

“You paint?” Keith blurted stupidly.

Daniela blinked, tearing her eyes away from Dom’s to meet his again. “What’s it to you, shortass?”

“Shut  _ up,  _ hermana,” Lance scolded, glancing at the brothers apologetically. “I’m so sorry; she means well, I promise.”

Dom was literally cackling at this point in time, hand covering his mouth as a startled blush spread over Keith’s cheeks, the poor boy only managing to splutter out a weak attempt at a laugh in response, unsure if she was joking or not.

“Move it or lose it, sister,” The blush on Keith’s cheeks was more prominent than ever as Lance had seized his hand and was proceeding to drag him away from the scene. Keith didn’t miss how Daniela flinched, ever so slightly, at the phrase, and if he weren’t already staring at her in an odd mix of puzzlement, amusement, and disbelief, he would never have been able to catch it as the expression was gone as fast as it had appeared.

“Come on, asshole,” Keith finally called out to his brother in an attempt to recover from everything that had happened in the past few minutes. He turned back to Lance uneasily, tugging his hand out of his grasp but maintaining the boy’s pace. “How many siblings did you say you have?”

“Six, including me. You still have four idiots left to meet over the course of our sleepover, Flower.” Lance told him matter-of-factly, and Keith rolled his eyes at the nickname.

_ “Lance! _ Natalia threw paint on me again!” Someone moaned in agony, and Keith glanced up to see a boy sulking on the staircase, an awkward yellow splotch covering the side of his face. At first glance; Keith thought the boy  _ was  _ Lance, and he had to do a double take just to make sure. He was similar in age; just as lanky, the same tan skin and expression Lance wore occasionally when he was thinking too hard. His eyes were a golden brown, however, unlike the other siblings; hair slightly longer with a few blue streaks mixed into his soft-looking locks.

“Sebastián McClain, if you and Natalia were messing around with my supplies, I will literally  _ rip your limbs from their sockets and feed them to rabid squirrels while you bleed out!” _ Daniela was suddenly at Keith’s side, shooting threats and insults at the poor boy on the staircase.

He had only mocked her tone in response, and Keith noticed Dom’s lip quirk up when Sebastián said something in Spanish that made Daniela gasp and smack him upside the head. When Dom caught Keith’s eye, however, the expression was gone, and he glanced away, scowling at the ground.

The boy hurriedly jumped onto the railing as soon as his sister had disappeared up the rest of the staircase, sliding down as if he had done it tens of thousands of times. When he had reached the landing, where the boys were still hesitating awkwardly next to his brother, Sebastián’s eyes instantly locked onto Keith’s. When the ravenet noticed the cocky, flirtatious smirk slowly spreading across his lips, he had no doubts where the kid had picked it up from.

“Hello there,” the teenager gently lifted Keith’s hand to his lips, and the Korean resisted the urge to slap him away and dive for cover behind the worn out couch he had seen upon entering the room. Sebastián’s eyebrow quirked up; a signature Lance move, the smirk still present on his lips. “Do you have a name, or can I call you Mine?”

Before Keith could even open his mouth to respond, warm hands wrapped around his waist and he was suddenly pulled away from the boy in front of him until his back connected with a hard chest, the person caging Keith in with a strong embrace from behind as a chin dipped down to rest on his shoulder. “You’d better back right the fuck off about now before we have a serious problem, Sebastián.” Lance’s voice was low with warning, and, though he was too shocked to move, Keith could definitely pick up a trace of a territorial tone hidden in his words.

Sebastián only blinked at his brother, unfazed by his obnoxiousness, but the smirk left nonetheless as he held up his hands defensively. “Alright, alright, I see how it is.” Quick as lightning, Sebastián’s arm darted to the right, snaking around Dom’s waist and tugging him securely to his side as Keith’s brother yelped in surprise. “You didn’t call dibs on this one, though. He’s cute; finders keepers.”

“Uhh,” Dominic blinked, and though Keith could pick up specks of confusion in his eyes, he didn’t see any alarm or uncomfortableness in his expression. 

Suddenly, Keith became all-too-aware of Lance’s arms, still wrapped around him in a vice grip. His heartbeat; fast and strong, pulsing into Keith’s back steadily. Keith felt Lance’s warm breath on his shoulder, felt all of the hairs on the back of his neck prickle in panic and confusion. It all became too real, too fast, and he shoved away from the Cuban boy as fast as he could, breaking his grip and stepping further into the living room.

Everyone had turned to look at him, and, like his brother, Dom had successfully detached himself from Sebastián’s side. Sebastián chuckled at the younger boy; a light, airy sound that resonated in his chest, and Keith saw Dominic shiver slightly as he stepped away from him even further.

It was then that he noticed Lance’s gaze, the most intense of them all; his cool blue eyes studying Keith’s features, tracing over his hair that had fallen into his face, the ridge of his nose, his sharp jawline. The middle Kogane brother felt almost interrogated under Lance’s eyes, and he stuffed his hands into his pockets uncertainly as if that would stop the Cuban from stealing his soul and trading it to Satan for a bag of corn chips.

Just as soon as it had appeared, it was gone, the boy casting his eyes away to look over to Sebastián, who was shooting pickup line after pickup line to Dominic, who was mostly stoic, albeit the light blush dusting his pale cheeks. Lance cleared his throat, gaining their attention. “We’re having movie night to help Dom get over his crush, you in?”

“Wait, I don’t necessarily want to get  _ over  _ him-” Dominic stopped himself there, face burning crimson. “And it’s not a crush, okay!? We’re just friends.”

“I can help you get over your crush,” Sebastián murmured in a low, seductive tone that had even Keith’s knees beginning to shake as he stepped closer to Dominic so they were almost chest to chest. 

“Thanks, but pass,” Dominic was using all of his willpower not to give in to Sebastián’s charms, Keith could tell by his body language, and the boy smirked to himself when Dom pushed past Lance to stand just behind Keith, as if the junior could shield him from Lance’s brother.

“Movie night?” Sebastián turned to Lance, all traces of flirtatiousness evaporated from his voice and expression. Lance nodded, reaching out and ruffling his hair affectionately while the boy laughed and dodged his hands. Something about the action made Keith’s heart hurt, and he realized he really wanted to see Shiro in that moment, to rant, to hug, or even play the infamous  _ ‘let’s see how long Keith can last with his face pressed into Shiro’s gym bag!’ _ , a game he had passed down to Keith so he could play it with Dom when he’d felt like being annoying.

The eldest Kogane brother wouldn’t be staying with them awfully long before he had to go back to his apartment in Cali, and Keith knew he had to cherish every moment spent with him until that dreaded day arrived.

Keith began to have doubts, regrets whispered through his mind that maybe he should have turned down Lance’s offer (though, technically it was more of a demand) to stay over for a movie night. What would Shiro do tonight? Would he get home from job hunting and go straight to bed upon realizing his siblings weren’t there to greet him? Would he anxiously check his phone for any new texts from Keith to assure him that they were okay, or even just to chat with his brother just because. What if-

“Keith?” Lance’s face suddenly appeared in his field of vision, a cautious hand resting on his shoulder to comfort him, or to perhaps knock him back into reality. “Buddy, you there?”

“What?” Keith asked dumbly, blinking away his thoughts to meet Lance’s magnificent blue oceans. “Did you say something?”

“Are you-”

“Come on,” Dom interrupted, coming up to Keith’s other side and whacking him across the back a few times, and then once more for good measure. “Stop overthinking everything,” he paused. “...Hermano.” The word almost sounded wrong coming out of Dom’s mouth, but nobody commented as he crossed his arms, putting all of his weight onto one leg while he popped his knee in a very homosexual manner. “Shiro will be fine, okay? Just send him a quick text if you’re that worried and be done with it.”

Dominic was just as observant as Keith, and the elder brother rolled his eyes at how easily he had picked up on everything. “Was I that easy to read?”

“No,” the younger shook his head truthfully, before wiggling his eyebrows. “But you’ve got a helluvan observant brother by your side. Don’t take it personally, kiddo. I am just-” he popped his collar as if he were in the eighties, even going so far as to smooth back his hair dramatically. “The master sleuth. You’re welcome; please don’t refrain from applauding my work.”

“Glad to see you’re feeling better,” Keith’s hand raised on its own accord, and before he knew it he was ruffling Dom’s hair as his brother swatted at his hands.

Glancing back up to where Lance and Sebastián were standing, Keith blinked in surprise when he caught a small, affectionate smile on Lance’s lips as he watched the pair with a hand on his hip. It instantly slid off and was replaced by a smirk, however, when he’d noticed Keith staring. “See something you like, Flower?”

“In your dreams,” Keith fought to think of a good counter-nickname. “Infertile soil.”

Before Keith had even fully recognized what had just escaped his chapped lips, his ears were already beginning to tint red as Dominic wheezed to his right, covering his face as his body trembled with laughter, almost completely mirroring Sebastián.

Lance’s eyes widened for a fraction of a millisecond before he, too, had sputtered out a giggle at Keith’s word choice. “I’m sorry, can you  _ please  _ repeat that?”

“No, shut up.” Keith hid his face in his hands, cheeks completely crimson as he wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and die in that moment.

“You’re so fucking cute,” Lance murmured, so quiet Keith was almost afraid he’d misheard. It didn’t seem like Lance had wanted him to hear, however, so Keith stayed quiet and let it drop. 

Surely, it hadn’t meant anything.

“Yo, are we curling up on the couch with blankets and shit? Because if I do not see Pocahontas playing in front of my eyes in, like, three minutes max, I’m out.” Dominic suddenly piped up next to Sebastián, causing the Cuban (who had been lost in his own little world) to jump about a foot in the air, clutching his shirt where his heart was and panting as if out of breath.

“Aww, see?” Lance cooed mockingly. “You’re warming up to the idea already.”

“I will slit your throat in your sleep, McClain.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch. Four**

Keith knew that this would get out of hand as soon as they had all gotten comfortable in front of the old, basement TV.

The couch had lived a few years too long; stuffing slowly seeping out of a few corners, and Keith was almost positive the short, front left leg had been replaced with an upturned glass cup in equal size.

Our protagonist was sandwiched between Lance and Sebastián, Dominic to Sebastián’s right. The Kogane brothers each shot the other uneasy glances from the opposite ends of the couch, but neither McClain paid them any mind as Lance popped the first Disney movie into the old DVD player.

Keith knew this was going to get out of hand, of course, but he hadn’t expected it to go this wrong this  _ early  _ into the night.

They were about three movies in; it being only around eight, but Keith’s eyelids were slowly growing heavy from sitting in the same spot and staring at the same screen for so long. As Ariel sang about God knows what in front of them, Keith tiredly glanced over to his brother to make sure the poor kid was alright.

Dominic met his eyes, and Keith couldn’t help but choke on a short laugh when he’d sent him a fleeting look of panic. Sebastián was out like a light, using poor Dom as a pillow. He sleepily nuzzled into the curve of his friend’s neck, drooling on his shoulder as his arms wrapped loosely around Dom’s waist for support.

Lance, surprisingly, was the most awake out of the four of them, leaning forward intently as his wide eyes focused on the screen with childlike wonder.

“Lance,” Keith whispered, reaching out and poking him lightly in the side. Lance’s head turned to acknowledge Keith (though his eyes stayed attached to the screen) who was curled up into himself, drowning in fluffy blankets next to the Cuban boy. When he hadn’t said anything more, Lance quirked an eyebrow, to which Keith sighed. “Just relax, man. It’s a cartoon for children. We’re, like, seventeen.”

Lance huffed, staring back at Keith with those intense blue eyes. “I’m sixteen, actually, Mullet.”

“Woah, woah,” Keith raised his eyebrow as Lance had. “What happened to Flower?”

It took Lance a moment to process his words, but when he did, his lips curled up. “So you  _ do  _ like that nickname!” 

“Shut up!” Keith whisper-shouted back, whacking him with the least effort possible. “I don’t! I just like it better than  _ Mullet.” _

Lance was grinning now, movie completely forgotten as he leaned in towards Keith was sitting, noses inches apart. “I thought Flower was a ‘girly name’, Keith,” he whispered, and an involuntary shiver darted down Keith’s spine when he realized their proximity. “Back the fuck up, Lance.”

“Language!” Lance hissed in a mocking tone. “There are children present!”

“I’m only like two years younger than you!” Dominic piped up from the other end of the couch, hands stopping in their attempt to push Sebastián off of him as exasperation was evident in his tone.

“Lance; off.” Keith warned, a hand on his shoulder as Lance had practically draped himself across the boy.

Lance hummed, pulling away from him slowly, not tearing his cobalt eyes from Keith’s stormy violets. Keith sighed in relief at his absence, pulling the blankets tighter around himself as, in his peripheral, he noticed Dom finally stop struggling, groaning lowly in defeat as Sebastián only murmured something incoherent into his skin.

Another half an hour had passed, and Keith actually found himself enjoying the movie, getting caught up in his thoughts as he followed along with the plotline and started to enjoy the night further.

That feeling came to a screeching halt, however, when nimble fingers wove themselves into his dark hair.

“Lance-” Keith swatted his hand away, glancing back at their brothers to make sure they weren’t stirring. The quickest of smiles slipped onto his face when he noticed Dom had also succumbed to sleep, nose and lips hidden in Sebastián’s fluffy brown hair, one arm draped over his shoulder as one of Sebastián’s hands covered his other.

It faltered, however, when Lance reached for him again like a clingy child. Keith dodged his hands, which, granted, wasn’t that far as the wall of blankets prevented him from moving as much as he would have liked.

“Flower,” Lance whined, rubbing his eyes and letting out a loud yawn. Keith caught it and yawned with him, covering his mouth as not to be rude before elbowing Lance in the side. “Do you  _ ever  _ shut up?”

“You know,” Lance began, smiling tiredly and rubbing his left eye with the palm of his hand. “You act all tough and everything, but, really, you’re softening up to me. I can tell.”

“Mm, really?” Keith decided to throw him a bone, whispering back just as quietly. “What the hell gives you an idea even close to that?”

Lance grinned, then, leaning forward slightly as Keith drew back. “Let me play with your hair.”

Keith froze. “What?”

Slowly, tenderly, his hand reached out, pausing a few inches away when Keith stiffened. They locked eyes, and Lance blew out a slow breath, never tearing his gaze away. 

“Trust me,” he whispered.

Keith hesitated. Trust? This almost-stranger, whom he’d known for only a day, was asking him to put his trust in him, if only for a few moments. It was a strange, risky request, and in that moment, Keith wasn’t sure what to do. 

When he didn’t move, only stared with wide, uncertain eyes, Lance slowly pushed forward, pausing only slightly a few centimeters from Keith’s head. The tension in the room was thick, and Lance pursed his lips in front of the boy, not making any move to continue.

Keith held his breath, his chest beginning to tighten as his hand was so  _ close,  _ but still, it hovered just a bit away from him. Without really thinking about it, Keith slowly leaned into his palm, keeping his stare locked on Lance’s as the boy’s hand gently brushed up against Keith’s hair due to his movement.

It was so simple, but somehow, such an intimate moment.

Lance hesitated for only a few seconds more, before slowly, he’d started to stroke Keith’s hair, combing through it as gently as possible, tan fingers running through the soft strands. 

All too soon, cool air washed through Keith’s lungs and he drew back instantly, blinking hard to snap himself out of whatever trance Lance had put him in, huffing and glancing away uncomfortably.

Lance’s hand paused, mid-air, before he smiled quickly and retracted it. He didn’t speak for another few seconds, and Keith drew his knees to his chest as if he could make himself smaller.

“I know you don’t mind me as much as you say you do,” Lance repeated what he’d said a bit earlier, drawing his hands back to his lap, grinning to himself. “Because you would never even consider letting Sebastián do that, nevermind someone you dislike.”

Keith said nothing in response, pursing his lips and glancing away, praying to God that Lance wouldn’t notice nor point out the blush quickly spreading across his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

He couldn’t hear the movie over the pounding of his heart; all he could see was Lance’s steady ocean eyes, begging him to trust him, all he could feel was Lance’s fingers, delicate and hesitant, gently tugging through his hair.

He didn’t know what to do or say; how to react. Lance had been so patient with him, he’d waited for Keith to make the first move, something that had baffled Keith. What angle was he playing at? What could he possibly  _ want  _ from him?

Keith pondered in a world of overthinking for the next half an hour, barely registering the world around him. Lance hadn’t made any move to get closer to the boy, nor had he said anything, and Keith couldn’t help but feel a little grateful at the silence.

Eventually, after fighting off fatigue for what seemed like hours, Keith’s head finally dropped, eyes fluttering closed as he landed on what he’d groggily assumed was a pillow.

Sitting next to the sleeping boy, Lance found his heart racing at what seemed like a million miles per hour, and he blinked down at his friend in surprise. Keith’s head had fallen onto his shoulder, and he breathed out slowly, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

Lance’s hands were half-raised in surprise, and he glanced at the clock on the wall, blinking in surprise as  _ 1:43am  _ stared back at him. The sixteen-year-old glanced to his right, where Sebastián and Dominic were cuddled together, Dom’s head resting on Sebastián’s chest as his arms looped around his waist tiredly. Sebastián yawned and murmured something in his sleep, his grip on Dom’s shirt tightening momentarily before it slackened.

The elder McClain boy glanced down to where Keith slept soundly, and he found he, in fact, didn’t know what to do. He didn’t have the slightest idea whether or not he should wake Keith up or perhaps shift him into a more comfortable position. He didn’t know if he should give in and fall asleep as well, or leave and retreat to his room as Keith probably wouldn’t appreciate it if he woke up cuddled up to Lance’s side.

He decided on doing just that, and was about to move, too, but Keith stopped him. His arms had wrapped themselves around Lance’s waist in his sleep, and Lance stiffened when Keith’s cold nose brushed up against his exposed neck.

_ Yeah,  _ Lance thought to himself, pursing his lips as a chill ran through his body.  _ This is going to be a long night. _

+++

Keith woke up completely alone.

It wasn’t emptiness he’d felt in his chest that surprised him, no,  _ that _ he was used to. What shocked the boy slightly was how he’d, strangely,  _ expected  _ someone to be there, at least sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

No, he was sorely disappointed, as his dull eyes were met with the chilly, emptiness of Lance’s basement.

Until, that is, a small hand grasped his own.

Keith startled, glancing down to the small girl, who had to be no older than two, a ten-year-old boy sitting cross-legged a few feet away from what Keith assumed to be his younger sister.

“Hi!” The boy jumped to life with no warning, and Keith almost fell off of the couch with the force of his shout. The little girl hadn’t moved, and her grip on Keith’s pointer and middle fingers was tight. Suddenly, she let out a tiny gasp, bright, golden-brown eyes widening as her lips parted, revealing pink gums with a few teeth poking through. 

She released her death-grip on Keith’s hand, raising her chubby arms in greeting. “Up, up,” she breathed out, smiling gently.

“I’m Anton!” The boy was rambling, patting a short rhythm onto his knees as he grinned widely. He was missing both of his front teeth, and his bright blue eyes, much like Lance’s, shone in the morning light. “That’s Venita! She likes to cuddle.” He cupped his hand on the corner of his lips, as if he didn’t want his sister to hear, though it was the wrong side of his mouth. “I’m her big brother. It’s no big deal, but I protect her and stuff, like, all the time!”

“...I see,” Keith wasn’t quite sure how to react to the siblings; he wasn’t that good with little kids as his people skills, in general, were pretty rusty.

“Up,” Venita babbled again, wiggling her fingers at him. She had little corkscrew brown curls that were just a mess on top of her head, but some of it was pulled back into little purple barrettes, as if someone had tried to tame it but gave up mid-way. 

Keith hesitantly reached down towards her, lifting the girl as gently as possible onto his lap, awkwardly holding her legs in place so she wouldn't fall and kill herself.

“Venita likes Mac n’ Cheese, but she doesn’t really like cookies that much. Can you believe it? Who doesn’t like cookies? That’s like saying you don’t like breathing, or listening to music! Are you a boy or a girl? You’re really pretty. I asked Lance if you were dating, but he didn’t really tell me anything. He never tells me anything. I really like Lance. Sometimes I wonder if he even likes me, though,” Anton had taken up a somber tone, before brightening up as Venita grabbed at Keith’s inky black hair, tugging curiously. “I really like your hair. It’s pretty and shiny. You’re like a princess!”

“Ah,” Keith didn’t know what to say; the number of words Anton was throwing at him was kind of overwhelming for the poor boy. “I, um... Thank you?”

“You’re welcome!” Anton was practically glowing. “I haven't been thanked for anything in almost three days! Man, I almost forgot what it felt like! I like being thanked. Do you like being thanked? That’s so cool. Do you have a boyfriend?” Anton didn’t let Keith answer. “Me, neither. Having a boyfriend would be cool. Or a girlfriend. I dunno,” he gnawed on his lip, furrowing his eyebrows as he stared up at Keith in a panic. “What if I never get either?!”

“Brudder!” Venita suddenly screeched, tugging hard at Keith’s hair. He yelped in surprise when the small girl suddenly turned, gesturing wildly at Anton as he blinked, silencing himself. “I’ve been summoned?”

“Jesus Christ, why is it so cold down here?” An unfamiliar voice called, and the siblings and Keith turned to look at the fourteen-year-old girl who was making her way down the stairs, gray eyes narrowing in suspicion as she combed her smooth, caramel hair with her fingers.

“Hi!” Anton greeted her, waving wildly with a huge grin, before gesturing to Keith enthusiastically. “This is Lance’s girlfriend!”

“What,  _ no-”  _ Keith tried to deny, crying out when Venita yanked on his hair again, squealing with excitement as the teenager approached with an air of confidence. 

“I- I’m  _ not-”  _ the boy finally choked out, coughing when the newest member of their party gently scooped her younger sister into her arms, lips quirking up. “Yeah, yeah, relax. Anton, this is  _ a guy.  _ He’s not Lance’s girlfriend.” She spoke clearly, and Keith sighed in relief. “Yeah, thank-”

“This is Lance’s boyfriend,” she held Venita on her hip easily, tucking her hair behind her ear and laughing when Keith let out an exasperated groan and slumped back against the cushions in defeat. 

“I’m Natalia,” she held out her free hand, and Keith took it, trying for a smile but ended up grimacing instead. “Keith.”

“Hm,” she mused, quirking an eyebrow but saying nothing else as she turned, lightly kicking Anton in the leg as he whined at the contact. “Get up, hermano. Lance is trying not to burn the kitchen down at the moment, and we have yet to succeed in waking Daniela up. You wanna help me put Sebastián in his place so he stops incessantly flirting with Keith’s brother?”

Anton’s face lit up at the mention of helping his older sister, and he pushed himself to his feet, bouncing excitedly. “I’ll pound him into the ground!” He cheered, and Natalia punched him in the shoulder lightly. “That’s the spirit!”

Anton pounded up the stairs with that of a war cry, and Natalia glanced back at Keith, who was still hesitating on the beaten-down couch. “You comin’,  _ princess?” _

Was he?

“Yeah,” Keith nodded after a second of hesitation. “Yeah, let’s go.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch. Five**

“So I was thinking,” Lance glanced at Keith when he’d noticed the Korean boy enter the room after his younger sister. He quirked an eyebrow uncertainly, pulling up a chair at the kitchen table. “That’s never good.”

“Har, har,” the Cuban rolled his eyes playfully, before the ocean blues settled on Keith again. “No, but really. I was  _ thinking;  _ and hear me out, here. You owe me.”

Keith blinked. That was not what he'd expected to escape Lance’s chapped lips, so, understandably, he was taken slightly off guard. “I'm sorry, what?”

“You owe me,” Lance repeated bluntly, that shit-eating grin still plastered on his face. Keith raised an unamused eyebrow, and, before he could respond, a deafening crash was to be heard in the open doorway. Both boys’ heads swiveled to the disruption, and Keith found himself breathing out a laugh. Dom was groaning on the ground, rubbing his side dejectedly while Sebastián loomed over him, an apparent smirk on his lips. “I guess you’ve really fallen for me, hm?”

“Shut... up,” Dominic heaved out, ignoring Sebastián’s extended hand and climbing to his feet, a light blush dusting his cheeks. 

Lance rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. Keith shivered when he leaned in close, his warm breath fanning Keith’s ear. “How much do you want to bet they’ll be fucking by the end of the month?” 

“Lance!” Keith gasped, shoving him away in disgust while the boy laughed. Keith dropped his voice to a whisper. “Dominic is  _ fourteen years old!” _

“Two year difference,” Lance waved a hand dismissively. “Seb’s only sixteen. It could work.”

“What were you saying about me owing you something?” Keith ground out, eager to change the topic to something more comfortable to discuss. Lance grinned, pleased at his words, before leaning forward and wrapping an arm around Keith’s shoulders. “I had the common courtesy to drive you to safety yesterday; now you have to give me a favor, too.”

Keith blushed, his mind going places he would really  _ not  _ like it to go. “What... What favor?”

“You’re gay, right?” Lance asked bluntly, and Keith coughed, choking on the air in front of him as he processed Lance’s words carefully. “Am... Am I-” Dear  _ Lord,  _ Lance had better not have been implying what Keith thought he might be implying. 

“It’s a simple yes or no question, Flower,” Lance mused with his chin in his palm.

“I-” Keith gulped. “I... Um, yes?”

Lance grinned, then, and the blush grew brighter on Keith’s face. The Cuban clasped his hands together, staring intensely into Keith’s eyes. “I’m bisexual, yeah? Look, a little backstory; there’s this guy at school that I’m totally crushing on, like big time. I could always use a wingman, you know.”

Keith shifted as something sunk in the pit of his stomach, but he ignored it and shook his head as if to rid himself of the feeling. “How do you expect me to do that? News flash; I’m not all that popular with the people at our school.”

“Hm, never would have guessed,” Lance nodded solemnly, before breaking into a dopey, half-smile when Keith shoved his shoulder, rolling his eyes.

“Seriously, okay, okay,” Lance tried to calm the boy when he’d started to quietly curse his name under his breath. The Cuban boy laughed when Keith shot him a glare. “I-seriously, Flower. Help me out, here. I could really use a sidekick. Hunk refuses to help me after, ah,  _ last time,  _ and Pidge and Allura don’t know anything about getting a guy, as-” he coughed pointedly. “Neither of them have ever had a boyfriend before.”

“What makes you think I have?” Keith asked, rather put-off. Lance blinked. “Have you?”

Keith grumbled under his breath. “...Yeah. Shut up.” 

Chris Maciver was a one-time mistake, and, besides, there was no way they would ever interact again; his ex had made that  _ painfully _ clear as the days progressed into weeks, each one a harsh reminder of the moment he had broken Keith’s heart.

“Perfect,” Lance grinned, thumping him on the back as Keith scowled, not exactly pleased at what he was getting himself into. “So you’ll do it, then?”

“Yeah,” Keith finally murmured after a moment to think. He cleared his throat, trying again when Lance just stared at him expectantly as if he hadn’t heard. “Yeah.” A pause. “Who even is this guy, anyway?”

Keith watched as an admiring grin flickered across Lance’s face at just the thought of him, grimacing painfully as he had never seen anyone look at  _ him _ like that in the past seventeen years of his life. Lance sighed, appearing to be lost on his own little world; far away eyes matching his dreamy expression as he grinned contently, as if relieving some memory, before his vision cleared and he glanced back to Keith, the same lazy smile plastered across his chapped lips. “You ever heard of a guy called Christopher Maciver?”

+++

“Keith!” A cheerful voice caught the boy’s attention, and Keith diverted his gaze to where Oliver was waving him over, running a hand through his sandy blond hair.

“Hey, Oliver,” Keith could hear how drained he’d sounded in his greeting, and the green-eyed boy quirked an eyebrow. “You good? You sound like you haven't slept in weeks. It’s Tuesday, Keith.  _ Tuesday.” _

“I _ know,” _ Keith groaned, and Oliver rubbed his back sympathetically, frowning in concern. “What happened?”

“Bad decisions happened, Oliver. Bad decisions.” Keith reached out and pulled Oliver into a hug, smoothing his curly hair back flat as he was almost a head shorter than the elder boy. Keith stared into the distance dramatically as if he were in a movie. “Never become a Junior. It’s hard work just existing.”

“Shut up, Dad.” Oliver snorted, pushing Keith away and rolling his eyes amusedly. Together, the pair made their way into the school, and Oliver’s inquisitive green eyes scanned over every face they passed. His face showed no malintentions; it was simply curiosity.

Suddenly, as if prompted by an invisible force, he started to bop his head in rhythm, tapping his feet against the cold tile floor as they walked. “Sometimes you gotta bleed to know-” he grinned, moving his shoulders. “That you’re alive and have a soul,”

“But it takes someone to come around-” Keith sang along before he could stop himself; he couldn’t even hear the music yet Twenty One Pilots would forever be his weakness. “To show you how...”

“She’s the tear in my heart!” Oliver joined him, eyes closed with a boyish smile gracing his face. “I’m alive; she’s the tear in my heart... I’m on fire.”

“She’s the tear in my heart,” Keith laughed, bopping along next to the sophomore. “Take me higher,”

“Than I’ve ever been!” Oliver spun around, almost knocking over a few students who were trying to make their way to class. Neither of them cared, however, as they were too immersed in being complete idiots, effectively embarrassing themselves in front of most of the school’s population.

“The songs on the radio are okay,” Keith lowered his voice to speaking volume, mimicking that of a teacher.

“But my taste in music is  _ your face!”  _ Oliver cheered, and Dominic Kogane glanced up from where he’d been making his way quietly to first hour, head down as his fringe fell into his eyes.

“And it takes a song to come around,” Keith watched as the blond snagged his brother from the crowd, pulling him securely to his side. “To show you how-”

“She’s the tear in my heart!” Oliver sang with Keith, grabbing Dom’s hand before he could protest and spinning him around while he groaned and tried to escape. “I’m alive! She’s the tear in my heart; I’m on fire.”

“Stop,” Dom looked like he wanted death, trying to pull away from his best friend. Oliver only laughed and tugged him closer, tucking Dom into his side while the he easily threw an arm over his shoulder.

Keith continued to hum the tune under his breath as Dom crossed his arms but matched Oliver’s pace anyway, grumbling something under his breath as Oliver grinned, his blond hair contrasting to Dom’s black locks. Keith studied the pair silently, noting the light blush that Dom always carried when it came to Oliver, but there was also deep concentration clouding his eyes, as if his thoughts were focused somewhere else.

+++

“Thomas Jackson was arguably one of the scariest Confederate soldiers of all time,” Ms. Harman paced the room animatedly, swinging a meter ruler past the rows of students who managed to duck just in time when she accidentally almost beheaded them with it. 

“He was the kind of person who believed that the exact moment God destined him to die, he would die. Whether it be sitting in a rocking chair on his front porch or with a bullet through his brain in the midst of battle, he had no say in it. Whenever he charged into battle, he did so with absolutely no fear. Jackson took risks; he jumped before he really knew what was coming, and if he was afraid of the fall, he didn’t show it.”

Keith was absorbing her words like a sponge, leaning forward in his seat engagedly as she stopped at the front of the room, cocking her meter stick like a rifle and squinting into the invisible scope.

“When he had been tasked with defending western Virginia from an army of Union troops, Jackson took his army of 15,000-18,000 men, moving so quickly around the Union group of over 60,000 soldiers they were virtually undetected. The Union plowed on with the intent of claiming the Confederate capital. 

“Picture this, we have the Union cutting through the south like a bullet, with their ironed blue uniforms and stainless weaponry. The Confederates were a group of collective nobodies; gray, mismatched uniforms with holes littering throughout. Hadn’t eaten in days, the men were tired and hungry and just wanted to go home to their families. 

“The Union was almost there now,  _ almost  _ claiming the prize they had so desperately wished to have to themselves. The race was on, and just when victory was in their sights...” Ms. Harman was watching her class intensely, locking eyes with each student.

_ “BAM!”  _ The woman shouted, slamming her ruler down onto poor Keith’s desk. He yelped and jumped back, slamming his elbow into the hard, metal chair he was seated at. Ms. Harman shot him a quick grin at his reaction, before continuing to prowl up the aisle like a cat stalking its prey. 

“The Confederates weaved through their ranks, strangling the Union off into three sections like a snake coiling around a rodent. Stonewall strikes, plowing through our men at an alarmingly fast rate, somehow managing to defend Virginia and prevent us from taking the Confederate capital in Richmond. The Union learned two important things that day. Their prize may not be what they had in mind, and to  _ never  _ underestimate those they once considered an ally.”

“Woah,” Keith whispered in awe, watching the twenty-something-year-old woman pace back to the front of the room. 

To his right, a kid with copper hair and huge, round glasses snorted in amusement. Instinctively, Keith glanced over to where they sat, notebook neatly placed in front of them with color-coded notes decorating the lined paper. “What?”

They shot him a grin, raising their eyebrows as Ms. Harman continued her story in front of them. “Nothing, I swear. It’s just...” Biting the inside of their cheek as if to keep from laughing again, the kid struggled to regain their composure. “It’s refreshing to see someone my age who’s even more of a history nerd than I am. I mean, you were practically having an orgasm from just the sheer mention of a war tactic.”

Keith didn’t know how, exactly, to respond, only sputtered out a shocked laugh. “I’m sorry...?”

“I’m Pidge,” the kid adjusted their glasses, holding a hand out to him. He tentatively took it, glancing up as the bell rung shrill, the artificial, electronic sound burning into his eardrums. “Keith.”

To his surprise, something similar to recognition flashed across their features. “Keith?”

Gathering his notes and slipping them haphazardly into his backpack, Keith raised his eyebrows uncertiantly, following the kid into the hallway. “Is-Is there a problem with my name?”

“No, no problem,” they glanced back, a slow smirk spreading across their lips. “You’ve even got the mullet and everything.” And then, quieter, perhaps just to themselves, “I thought he was exaggerating.”

“Keith!” Someone called behind him, and he turned just in time to catch Sebastián lightly jogging up to where he stood, Natalia right on his tail.

“See you later, Keith!” Pidge called before he could respond, and he glanced over to see them speed walking down the hall in front of them, hand covering their mouth to hide what Keith presumed was a smirk.

“Pidgeon, my one true love! Why must you leave me so!” Sebastián cupped his hand over his mouth after them when he’d reached Keith, before laughing when they’d turned back just long enough to shoot him the bird.

“Hey, Princess,” Natalia greeted, fiddling with a zipper on her bag before tucking a strand of long, straight brown hair behind her ear.

Keith nodded in acknowledgement, glancing around them in spite of himself. “Is Lance with you?” He forced his voice to sound casual.

Sebastián snorted, seeing through his act almost instantly. “I don’t know, is Dom with you? I sure don’t see him anywhere.”

“Dom would rather be dead than be seen with me during school hours,” Keith answered, almost instinctively, and he watched as Sebastián’s eyes dimmed, smile growing somber. “Siblings, am I right?”

Keith wanted to say something in response, to tell him Lance loved him; he’d seen it in his expression the night before, but somehow he didn’t think it was his place. He wasn’t close enough to these people to make such a declaration.

“Honestly, I just want some food in my mouth and a nap.” Natalia had a bounce in her step as the group of three headed to lunch, and Keith couldn’t help but agree.

The lunchroom was an uproar of chatter and bustling students, kids shouting to their friends across the cafeteria while others skidded around them in a game of tag. Keith sighed to himself, cold violet eyes scanning the room for any empty tables he could sit at. Worse case scenario, he could sit alone in the hallway; at least nobody would tease him there.

“Keith?” Sebastián’s voice broke into his train of thoughts, fingertips brushing against his arm. Keith glanced to where the McClain siblings stood, tilting their heads curiously. “You coming?”

“Am I-” Keith furrowed his eyebrows, glancing behind him awkwardly. “I- where am I going?”

“To... to eat?” Natalia wore an expression of concern and sympathy, but it quickly slipped off, a mask of amusement replacing it. “Come on, Princess. Our table’s over here.”

“I-okay,” Keith allowed himself to be dragged across the lunchroom by the crook of his arm, Sebastián laughing into his palm when he’d almost fallen into a trashcan when a freshman hastily bumped into him on their way to their seat.

“Flower!” Someone greeted him, and Keith’s head swiveled at the sound of Lance’s voice. He sat with a few other kids at a table Sebastián was headed towards, waving enthusiastically at the Korean boy. 

“Oh, great,” Keith mumbled under his breath, but didn’t protest as Natalia gently ushered him the rest of the way. He dropped his bag down next to his friend, sliding into the seat next to him with ease.

He didn’t miss the way Lance’s smile seemed to grow wider, more genuine, or the fact that in a matter of seconds he had easily replaced it with a smirk that seemed all too similar to a mask used to protect oneself from their feelings.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch. Six**

Keith summed up his day at school with an overdramatic, face-first flop onto the worn-out couch just inside his home. He’d then proceeded to kick his legs so his shins repeatedly hit the soft cushion under him, a muffled scream emitting from his chapped lips.

“Long day?” Shiro asked from his seat at the dining table, book in hand as a smile teased his lips. Keith only huffed in response, peering up at his brother through thick, dark lashes. “Sorry for abandoning you yesterday.”

His voice was still partially obscured from his mouth being squashed into the couch, but Shiro seemed to understand nonetheless, offering Keith a tired smile. “Don’t sweat, Kiddo. I had some studying to do for my upcoming finals, anyway.”

Keith briefly wondered if his brother was lying, seeing as how finals started months from now (even Takashi wasn't  _ that  _ responsible), let alone the fact that Shiro had probably forgotten most of his schoolwork in California because of his rush to get home after the Dominic incident.

“Well, fuck me gently with a chainsaw!” The door slammed open, announcing the youngest brother’s presence with a start. Speak of the devil.

Keith snorted while Shiro heaved a sigh, too tired to bother scolding Dom any more than he already had on the matter of swearing. He did, however, shoot a long, pointed look in Keith’s direction, both of them knowing full well where Dom has picked that phrase up from.

Poor Keith barely had time to brace himself before Dominic, without looking to see if the couch was empty, dramatically threw himself onto it - almost exactly mirroring Keith (even down to the long sigh just before he was supposed to make contact).

He’d landed on top of his brother, who’d promptly let out a long groan in response at the feeling of his internal organs being smushed together. He wheezed out a breath, struggling to push Dominic off of him while his brother only giggled into his shoulder.

“What’s your problem, anyway?” Keith finally managed through gritted teeth, watching as his brother slumped to the side as if all of his energy had been sapped out of him. Dom responded in the form of a long groan, throwing his arm over his eyes to shield himself. “I have a stalker.”

“You have a  _ what.”  _ The sentence wasn’t phrased like a question, and Shiro neatly placed his book down in front of him, face stoic (though his eyes danced with the challenging flame of someone who just had ten years added to their life).

Dominic nodded glumly, but Keith noticed the way his lips twitched up for just a millisecond before he controlled himself. “Oh, yeah. He followed me home.”

Nobody had time to do anything with themselves before the front door loudly swung open, banging into the wall as a familiar Cuban boy stumbled through, jumping at the sound before turning and quickly apologizing to the wood. 

“What the  _ fuck  _ are you doing here, Lance?”

“Keith,” Shiro sighed, rubbing a hand down his face tiredly. Keith ignored him, gently shoving his brother off of the sofa so he’d landed with a  _ thud,  _ followed by a set of quiet laughter.  Lance only gestured dramatically between himself and the middle Kogane brother, much to Keith’s dismay. “We have to go to the Altea Roller-Rink. Like, right this second.”

“I’m sorry,” Keith raised his eyebrows in a silent challenge. “Did you just barge into my house and demand to take me on a date?”

Keith was surprised by the words that tumbled out of his mouth on his own accord, and Dom raised his eyebrows amusedly, though he said nothing. Lance coughed, a light blush disting his cheeks as he shook his head quickly. “No-no, ah,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “Hunk just passed by and he told me Chris was there. If I remember correctly, you still have your part of our deal to fulfil.”

Keith was already cringing to himself when Chris’ name was mentioned, let alone the fact he was at the Altea Roller-Rink; the location of their first date - the first time Keith had held hands with a boy, and the first time he’d been pushed into a bathroom stall to heatedly make out with said date.

“You made a deal...?” Dominic’s eyes flicked curiously between his brother and their Latino friend, who was shifting from foot to foot anxiously. Keith chose not to respond, instead sighing and tiredly pushing himself to his feet, running a hand down his face before meeting Lance’s exquisite blue eyes. “Fine. Let’s go.”

+++

“Oh, sweet Jesus!” Keith collapsed out of Lance’s Chevy, falling to his knees and kissing the pavement, slicked with rain, below him. “Oh, ground. Sweet, sweet ground. Halle-fuckin-lujah.”

_ “I think _ you’re being overdramatic,” Lance told him matter-of-factly, crossing his arms impatiently while he waited on the sidewalk in front of the Korean boy. Keith glanced up at him under his thick lashes, letting out a shaky breath before mocking his tone.  _ “I think _ you have a death wish.”

Lance scoffed, watching as Keith pushed himself to his feet. They walked into the building together, stopping to pay for their ticket at the front. “I’ll have you know, I’m an  _ excellent  _ driver. You just can’t appreciate this level of expertise.”

“Right,” Keith’s voice was far away as he scanned the rink, searching for those eyes he knew so well. 

“C’mon, Mullet. Let’s get some skates.” Lance grasped his wrist, shocking him out of his thoughts as the Cuban boy hesitantly started making his way towards the rental booth. Keith scanned his back as Lance marched ahead, registering the tenseness of his shoulders, or how his hold on Keith’s wrist was just a  _ little  _ too tight.

“You’ve never skated before, have you?”

The question came out of nowhere, and Lance’s stance bristled ever-so-slightly. He glanced over to our protagonist cautiously, biting his bottom lip as if he wasn't sure how to respond. “I used to come here sometimes when I was a kid, I guess. Daniela and Seb were the only ones that were actually good at it.”

Keith nodded thoughtfully, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. Chris loved skating, and would often drag Keith along with him to the rink on the weekends. After about a year of skating with his ex, Keith sometimes came by himself to just clear his head. 

He enjoyed the sport; he enjoyed the feeling of his heartbeat pulsing through his veins and the air whipping past him as he shot around the rink until he was dizzy with adrenaline.

When he bent down to slip off his shoe, Keith stifled a laugh when he noticed Lance staring down at him as if he’d just told him to inhale a gerbil. “You have to trade your shoes for their skates, idiot.”

Lance stared down at him for another second, perhaps wondering if this was all some elaborate prank, but tentatively bent down to slip off his converse as well. Keith placed his combat boots on the desk, handing the employee his ticket and watching as she took their shoes and disappeared into the back room.

Keith tried to contain his excitement when he was handed a pair of jet black rollerblades, Lance opting for skates instead. Though he appeared calm enough, the boy practically sprinted to the nearest bench to slip them on, a small grin splitting his features.

Lance dropped down next to him, slipping his socked feet into his white skates, fiddling with the laces while Keith strapped his velcro over, pushing to his feet and shifting his weight. It had been about two weeks since his last visit, but he already felt the familiar rush of excitement he got every time he was on the rink. 

Chris had ruined a lot of things after their messy breakup, but Keith  _ refused  _ to let him taint this, too. 

Lance swore when he’d shakily stood up, reaching out and grasping Keith’s wrist instinctively. Keith sighed, though the corners of his lips quirked up. “You’re on  _ skates,  _ McClain. Your weight is evenly distributed.”

“Fuck off,” Lance murmured, but he never released his grip.

The pair made their way to the rink; the transition from the carpet to the slick mason almost giving Lance a heart attack. Absentmindedly, Keith scanned over each passing face out of boredom and curiosity. When he saw him, however, his heart dropped to his stomach.

Christopher Maciver hadn’t aged a day since their fallout two months ago, his sandy brown hair messy atop his head in an effortless style, golden eyes glinting in the light as he let out a long, concentrated breath, holding himself low to the ground so he could briskly skid around the turn, sweat dripping down his forehead from the exercise.

The way Lance stared after him made Keith’s heart ache, made his skin burn and crawl and itch because he knew that expression to its foundation. He’d made it himself hundreds of times whilst staring after the same boy from across the same room. And Chris? Chris had _ never _ looked at him that way.

Just seeing that same tan skin; the skin Keith once caressed and cherished, watching his muscles move and flex under his thin shirt, it brought  _ so _ many memories back faster than Keith wanted to relieve them.

“There he is,” Lance breathed, nudging Keith gently before, without thinking, pushing himself onto the hard flooring.

Under any other circumstance, Keith would have stifled a laugh at the way Lance instantly stumbled, clinging onto the wall while his legs shook like a baby fawn just beginning to walk. 

Keith skated onto the rink, moving his blades effortlessly while Lance cursed and almost lost his balance, tripping over himself.

“Here, you idiot,” Keith tried to force some type of amusement into his voice, but even he knew how flat it sounded. Without saying another word, he held out his hand to the Cuban boy, turning and skating backwards so he could keep his eyes steady on Lance’s.

When Lance didn’t move, only continued to stare at him like a man who’d just realized he’d forgotten his infant in the car whilst running errands, Keith sighed and moved closer, eyes dull as his hand never faltered. They locked eyes, then, Lance biting down onto his lip uncertiantly. Keith breathed out slowly when someone whooshed past them, the force of the hot air doing something to wake something up inside of him. 

“Trust me,” he whispered.

Lance only hesitated a second longer before he placed his hand into Keith’s, twining their fingers together. Keith gently pulled away from the wall, his hand almost slack while Lance held him in a death grip.

“Hey, hey,” Keith’s voice was low and steady as he pulled them along the track, as slow as he could bare without falling from the lack of speed. Lance was shaking; he was afraid.  He was afraid, and he didn’t know what was going to happen next, but he was willing to put up with that for someone he loved. Could love. Would love.

“Flower,” Lance choked, clutching on to Keith’s arm with a start. His eyes were wide with caution and fear, and Keith felt his own expression start to soften. “Hey, it’s okay, I’ve got you.” His voice was quiet, but it rang with honesty. “I’ve got you.”

He pushed his leg out slowly to propel himself, watching as Lance’s eyes followed his movements. “Keep your balance, yeah? Focus on pushing yourself forward, and try your best not to lose your focus.”

Lance let out a shuddering breath, and, without thinking, Keith reached around him and started running his hand along the rigidness of his shoulders, pushing down gently. “Relax, Blue. I’ve got you.”

Lance’s eyes flicked up at the new nickname, and he subconsciously started to skate closer to Keith.

“Don’t walk. This isn’t walking. Push your skate out to the side and level most of your weight on your other leg to gain traction.” A pause. “Yeah-yeah, just like that.”

Lance was balancing himself out, but his grip on Keith’s hand never faltered. Keith couldn’t help it; he let his lips twitch up at the sight of the sweat already dripping down his tan skin. “I can’t believe I’m finally better than you at something.” He frowned. “Well, unless you count driving. Then I’m better than you at  _ multiple-” _

“He’s looking over here,” Lance’s voice was unusually quiet.

As if on instinct, Keith turned, brushing his messy black hair back off his forehead while his eyes searched his surroundings.

There.

Golden eyes burned into violet, and Keith’s knees almost gave out on him. He’d promised himself he would be ready, he would be able to stare into those eyes again just as coldly as they’d stared back at him.

“Keith?” Lance’s hand was on his arm, eyebrows furrowed outwardly as he tried to decipher what was wrong. He, perhaps, said something else, but everything was muffled and Keith’s ears were ringing and his vision was blurry and  _ holy fuck Chris was skating over to where they were standing. _

The Korean boy’s eyes scanned down his body before he could stop himself, observing the way his muscles moved under his shirt when he moved. Chris ran his hand through his tousled brown hair, and Keith found himself subconsciously holding a defensive stance, angling his chest away and folding his arms over himself as if they could serve as some sort of barrier.

“Keith,” Chris’ voice was pained, and Keith tensed, surprised his ex had even addressed him directly. Those unique irises slid over to Lance next, slight surprise and amusement dancing through them. “Lance? I didn’t know you skated.”

“Er, ah,” Lance grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck while he stared up at the eighteen-year-old with stars in his eyes. “I-thank you.”

Chris’ eyebrows furrowed slightly as he half-grinned at him confusedly, before huffing out a laugh and staring down at the slick floor underneath them. “I haven’t really seen you around. Do you come here often?”

“No. No, not really,” Lance hadn’t stopped grinning since they’d met up, and an uncomfortable ache stirred in Keith’s stomach. Without another word, he turned, his blades scuffing across the ground from the force of his takeoff.

Something was seriously, seriously wrong with him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch. Seven**

Keith didn’t know what the fuck he was doing at this point.

Lance had easily gained Chris’ full attention, and he loosely grasped the older boy’s wrist as Chris gently tugged him around the rink with a soft smile on his face. Why had Keith thought this was a good idea, again?

_ Go faster,  _ his subconscious urged.  _ Forget them, forget everything. You don’t owe them shit. _

Without a second thought, Keith bolted, zooming laps around the rink over and over again. He had to do something, he had to get rid of this awful churning in his stomach. He shouldn’t have even entertained the thought of agreeing to that  _ stupid _ bet.

Keith remembered the face he’d pulled after Lance had offered the name of his crush. The poor boy’s eyes had widened, heart stopping in his throat while his hands subconsciously clenched around the hem of his shirt under the table, twisting it together.

“Keith?” Daniela had asked from across the r0om, stopping her struggle with Venita’s hair enough to study his paling face. 

“I-” Keith didn’t know what to do; he glanced around the kitchen anxiously. Bile rose in the back of his throat, and he pushed himself to his feet, the wooden chair scraping against the cold tile and disturbing the heavy silence that had fallen across the room.

Dominic had been sitting on the floor next to Sebastián in front of the old cabinets, and upon seeing the panic gripping at his brother’s features, stumbled to his feet and pulled his phone from his back pocket.

“Keith,” he broke the tension that had been slowly building, peering up at him earnestly. “We never finished cleaning up after the whole ‘paint-ball incident’. Shiro’s pissed, we gotta go.”

In that moment, Keith had never been more thankful for his little brother. Dominic’s shoulders had tensed, fingers squeezing tightly around his hand-me-down phone that had originally been Shiro’s, then Keith’s, and now it was his. That phone was, strangely enough, something Keith had really admired about Dominic for keeping all this time. 

Sure, it had a long, jagged crack down the center, and some parts didn’t work as well as they used to, but he was willing to put in the effort to fix it.  _ It’s not the phone that needs to be replaced _ , Dom had said when Keith asked him about it over lunch one day;  _ it’s the people that used it and damaged it in the first place. _

Trying to keep himself together, he began to nod numbly, and Dominic quickly seized his hand, tugging him towards the front door, echoing what Keith had done to him in an attempt to whisk him away from bad situations throughout their lives.

“It was nice meeting you all!” The fourteen-year-old called back to the McClain siblings. Anton poked his head in the room and waved enthusiastically. “Come back as soon as you can, kay?” 

Venita copied her brother’s actions with a goofy smile lighting her features, babbling softly under her breath.

“Bye, Dom. See you later, Keith.” Daniella smoothed back Venita’s hair weakly as if acknowledging she was fighting a losing battle.

“See you around,” Seb nodded once, tucking his knees to his chest as they made their exit.

And you know who hadn’t said a word throughout the whole ordeal?

Yep.

The wall approached faster than Keith had anticipated. He dropped, one leg out to guide the sharp turn while he tucked his other securely against his chest, fingertips grazing the cold mason tile beneath him.

He could sense a pair of eyes tracking his form, but he was too angry and stubborn to glance over to see who it was, instead drawing a long breath to hold his concentration before slowly levelling himself out.

Keith’s fingers twitched at his sides, an image of Lance’s intense blue eyes locked onto his in a dark basement flashed through his mind. Keith automatically cursed - loudly, shaking his head as if to rid himself of those thoughts.

_ Stop it,  _ he urged silently. 

Blue. Why were Lance’s eyes so  _ goddamn _ blue?

“I didn’t know we shared a lunch,” Lance had mused when Keith hesitantly sat down at their table, sandwiched between Sebastián and Natalia. Daniela had joined them shortly after, reaching out to ruffle Keith’s hair good-naturedly before he could stop her. He did, however, shriek a little bit and try to make himself smaller, ignoring Sebastián’s boisterous laughter.

“I don’t usually eat with anyone,” Keith ground out, frowning from all the attention he was getting from his new tablemates.

Lance’s grin faltered, but he caught himself, folding his hands in front of him as his eyes zeroed in on the empty place on the table in front of Keith. Sebastián also focused on him, golden brown eyes narrowing slightly. “Where’s your lunch, Keith?”

“I-” Keith could barely get a word in before the four McClain siblings simultaneously started unzipping their lunches, sifting through their food and dumping most of it on the table. Keith was overwhelmed with hand-written notes with hearts on them, traditional Cuban dishes made and wrapped with care.

“I’ve got- _ ooh,  _ Medianoche,” Seb gasped, picking up a sandwich filled with what appeared to be roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, and pickles. Daniela snorted, pausing her search to stare at her younger brother incredulously. “Every time you gasp you remind me of how fucking homosexual you are.”

“Fuck off,” Sebastián snapped, before turning to Keith and shoving half of his sandwich in his face. “Eat.”

“I-” Keith didn’t know how to react to a situation like this. The table was staring at him expectantly, and Keith cleared his throat a little. “I’m lactose intolerant.”

“Oh hey, same.” Natalia’s voice carried an octave of surprise before she placed a fork in Keith’s unsuspecting hand and pushed a plastic container towards him. “Black bean salad with rice. You’ll like it, it’s got Lucayan Chicken.”

Keith didn’t know what that was, but he was too awkward to speak up about it and instead began to nibble a few bites when she gestured towards it again expectantly.

It was... Keith didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t this. It’s not that the dish was bad; it was just a new flavor combination he wasn’t used to. Keith was chewing slowly as he saw from the corner of his eye he was being keenly observed by four siblings who appeared to care far too greatly about his health after knowing him for only two days.

Keith was sucked back into the present with no warning, his blades skidding on the cold mason below him as he guided his hip to bump into the padded wall at his side. He forced himself to a stop, gripping the material instinctively while his knees trembled without his consent. 

_ Stop, stop it.  _ Keith forced himself to stare on the patch of blue on the ground below him, breathing ragged while his eyes blurred in and out of focus. “Stop it,” he ground out under his breath.  _ “Stop  _ it.”

“Keith!”

Snapping his gaze to the carpeted section of the building where skaters could rent supplies, Keith startled at Shiro’s face, his brother’s eyes wide with panic as he tried to suck in a trembling breath to calm himself.

Instantly, Keith was at his side, kicking off his rollerblades in a rush so he could seize forward and grip Shiro’s forearms, holding him still. “Shiro! Shiro, hey, calm down. What the hell happened?”

“Keith?” Keith was aware of Lance and Chris’ voices, blending together as two figures joined his side upon seeing his older brother. 

“Shiro,” Keith’s voice came out choked, a panic rising in him as Takashi gasped again as if he couldn’t get enough air in. “I can’t find Dominic.”

Keith’s heart dropped to his stomach, breath catching in his throat. “What?”

“He’s not picking up his phone, he’s not at school or the library or at home or-” Shiro was on the verge of tears, and Keith gripped his arms tighter as he shook his head in a panic. “And-And after what happened last time we couldn’t find him-”

“Shiro,” Chris had already unlaced his shoes, reaching around to rub comforting circles into his back, attempting to lessen the tension in his shoulders. 

“Keith?!” Lance cried out and suddenly Keith’s world was spinning and his legs gave out on him entirely because all he could hear was an echo screaming from a buried memory and - and suddenly someone’s arms wrapped around his waist securely, a hand cradling his head while another loosely grasped his wrist.

“What-what’s going on?” Keith didn’t know who’d said it, but he assumed it was Lance because Chris spoke after in a low tone gripped with the beginning of panic. “Look- around ten months ago, Dom went missing. We couldn’t find him anywhere; Shiro and Keith- they weren’t coping so great. After... After looking for three straight days without a single break, we found him in the hospital, recovering.”

The arms around Keith’s waist never faltered, and the Korean boy raised a hand to his forehead in an attempt to calm the dizziness that gripped his mind, trying to chase the spots from his eyes. 

The silence that stretched long after begged the unasked question Keith could practically feel vibrating on Lance’s lips;  _ recovering from what?  _

Keith finally started to regain his bearings after a few seconds of tense silence, finally coming to the realization that Lance was the one who’d caught him (and was still holding Keith securely against himself-much to the former’s dismay) when Lance spoke up again in a hesitant, ragged voice. “...How do you know all of this?”

A soft but firm hand had guided Keith’s head to the crook of Lance’s neck, and the teenager was about to protest and pull away before he realized his vision was starting to clear. Something about Lance’s natural scent was beginning to help him calm down, almost like a stability of some sort.

Chris’ lips had pressed into a thin line at the Cuban boy’s guarded words, and Keith never got to know how he would have responded -  _ if  _ he would have responded, because Shiro spoke again, running a hand down his face as if trying to cling to the last ounce of control he had left. “Keith.”

His name came out broken and trembling, but somehow that was all his brother needed to say. In that moment, Keith sucked in a breath and came to terms with the fact that he had to try to be the strong one right now.  _ He  _ had to take control because Shiro didn’t know what to do.

That was the funny thing about his older brother. Both Keith and Dom alike had always relied on Shiro to be the strong one. To be the strong one, and keep a level head, and comfort them when life went to shit. But the thing about being the strong one? Nobody ever offers you a hand.

That changed today. Keith had to take control, he had to be the leader until Shiro was himself again. 

And no matter if he was ready for it or not, this was family they were dealing with. This was  _ family,  _ and Keith would be damned if he stepped back and allowed anything happen to them ever again.

+++

Keith was going to cry.

Well, scratch that, he’d already cried a little when they’d left the rink, but (fortunately) nobody had seen as Lance’s arm was protectively around his shoulders and he’d ducked his head as soon as his eyes had started to sting.

No, Keith was going to cry  _ again  _ because not only were Lance and Shiro in Lance’s old jeep, away from him, but poor Keith had been forced into the passenger seat of his ex’s truck.

If Keith thought he’d felt awkwardness before, he really had no idea what was coming because right now he wanted to jump off a goddamn  _ bridge.  _ Neither boy had dared breathe when the doors had closed, trapping them in the crisp, stale air of Chris’ gray truck that Keith had sat in thousands of times without batting an eye. The familiarity made his heart hurt.

Keith winced when Chris cleared his throat, and the silence only stretched seconds further before the older boy let out a long sigh, glancing over to Keith with those golden eyes. “Keith-”

“Look,” Keith cut him off, swallowing thickly and tearing his eyes from his lap to the window. “Let’s... Let’s not do this right now; we have to find my brother.”

“I know,” Chris let out a soft, humorless laugh. “I know-God, you don’t think I know that?” He kept his eyes on the road, but his gaze softened. His voice quieted, lowering to an octave of hesitance. “I’m so sorry, Keith.”

There it was. There were the four words Keith had been waiting to hear for an eternity. But, strangely, an uncomfortable rock settled in his stomach instead of the satisfaction he had been expecting. His throat felt tight, trembling hands gripping the hem of his t-shirt. “Then why did you do it?” His voice came out as a whisper.

The hard glint in Chris’ eyes had returned, and they flicked over to where his clenched fists were tightening around the rubber steering wheel. “Why did I...?” He let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “You have the audacity to ask me why  _ I  _ broke up with you after what you did?”

“Bullshit!” Keith choked, blinking at his ex incredulously. “That’s bullshit, Maciver, and you know it. I didn’t do  _ anything!  _ And you’re just sitting there, all high and mighty, trying to make excuses for - don’t you think I have a right to know?”

“Drop it.”

“What-” Keith’s voice caught when Chris cut him off again, knuckles white. “Keith. Drop it.  _ Now.” _

Keith opened his mouth to respond, to yell or something, but his seatbelt caught when the car rolled to a stop outside of Oliver’s house.

Within seconds, the kid was sprinting out, phone pressed to his ear as he hadn’t even bothered with a jacket. He threw open the back door in a rush, hands shaking as he slid the phone into his back pocket. “Did you find him yet?”

Keith swallowed, shaking his head numbly. Oliver released a breath, dropping his head onto the leather seat behind him. “Damn it,” he breathed, and Keith flinched when Oliver lashed out and punched the back of his seat, before slumping again in defeat with a broken cry. “Damn it.”

“Have you been calling him?” Chris shifted the truck into gear and, for some odd reason, Keith wished Lance was behind the wheel, uncertianly teetering off the side of the curb before swerving around a tree. He would have probably broken the tension by offering his hand to hold on to. Even though Keith would have scoffed and shoved him away, he would have felt better.

“Yeah,” Oliver answered breathlessly, snapping the Korean boy back to the present. “Yeah, I have. Straight to voicemail.”

“Okay, don’t panic,” Chris met Oliver’s eyes in the rearview mirror, and Oliver cast an uncertain glance to Keith before flicking his eyes to the ground in response. Chris cleared his throat and looked back to the road, continuing anyway. “Something could’ve happened to his phone, alright? Chances are, he’s just at a fro-yo place and isn’t even aware we’re trying to contact him. Don’t jump to worst-case scenarios. Dominic is going to be fine.”

As much as Keith hated to admit it, Chris’ smooth, soothing voice was beginning to calm him, and one quick glance in the mirror showed the tension in Oliver’s shoulders was starting to evaporate as well.

That all stopped in an instant when Keith’s phone loudly vibrated in his pocket, forcing the breath from his lungs as he scrambled to pick up the call. An unfamiliar contact flashed across the screen, but he still hit answer with shaking fingers, pressing the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

There was some shuffling on the other end, followed by a quiet, low groan that was quickly muffled. Keith’s breath caught, and he subconsciously reached out to grip the sleeve of Chris’ shirt. “Hello? Dominic? Is that you?”

“...Keith?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Ch. Eight**

Dominic was kind of not okay.

He didn’t remember much of the past few hours; he had been walking on the side of the road, breathing in the sweet, fresh air of the springtime around him, with the intent of stopping at Oliver’s house to hang out. The road was empty, though the occasional car zoomed past, disturbing the tranquilness.

And then... And then it was a blur of frantic honking, screaming, and he was rolling down the unkepr, grassy hill that dipped down next to the road, the breath forced from his lungs.

And then there was nothing.

When he had finally managed to crack open his eyes in what seemed like a few seconds later, he was greeted with the night sky above him, the sun receding just below the horizon. His head was pounding, a constant mantra of frantic drum beats screaming in his ears. There was also pressure around his temporal lobes as if someone had grabbed the sides of his head and started to squeeze.

The fourteen-year-old sat up, groaning loudly as the rush of blood from his brain made his world spin. He tried to ignore the loud ringing in his ears as he pulled his knees to his chest, clutching his head and gasping for air.

Was he going to die? Is this what death feels like?

_ Calm the fuck down,  _ he thought to himself. There was a chance he could have said it aloud because his vocal chords seemed raw as if not prepared to be used. Dominic drew in a long, slow breath, hands threading in his hair and pressing down onto his skull gently as if he could dissipate the feeling that his brains were going to fall out at any given second.

“Calm... the fuck... down,” he tried again, gasping with each breath.  _ Assess the situation. Find a solution. _

After pausing for another few seconds, the boy slowly began to draw his legs back, peeling them away from him so he was sitting criss-cross in the uncomfortable, grassy, forest-like area about twenty feet away from the road to his left. One hand never left his head, but the other slowly ran through his hair, picking out any twigs and leaves, before running down his opposite arm to check for injuries.

When he was satisfied, he began to carefully pat down his stomach, drawing in a breath when he realized his right side had gone numb. Carefully peeling back his shirt, damp with sweat, Dom’s eyes traced over the six or seven deep cuts running up where his ribs were located, as if various sticks or rocks had broken his skin during the fall. 

He also may have had a concussion, judging by the fact his vision hadn’t stopped dotting, the ringing was louder than before and he wanted to slam a heavy object into his skull to have any relief from this piercing headache.

He would have to go to the hospital, most likely, to check everything and make sure the injuries running up his side weren’t infected. Keith was probably - _ Keith! _ How long had he been unconscious?! It was dark... That had to be at least a few hours, if not days.  _ God,  _ please, don’t let him have been asleep for days. He couldn’t do that to them again... Even if this specific time was actually an accident.

Where... Where was his phone?

Dom felt around in the grass beneath him, running his hands over the rocks higlittering the dirt in a desperate search. No...  _ No,  _ he had to find that phone.

Dominic’s throat was beginning to close up, and he let out a broken cry as he retracted his hand, instead covering his face as the boy’s lips began to tremble against his wishes. A heaving, shuddering gasp escaped his lips, and he dipped his head so it rested on his knees, hands clutching his faded brown shirt as he cried out, eyes stinging with tears as they finally began to drip down his dirt-smudged cheeks, leaving awkward trails of clean skin in their wake. 

Desperation clawed at his trembling limbs, and he did let out a small scream this time, body shaking with sobs as he wound his hands in his tangled black hair, slowly rocking himself back and forth in an effort to soothe himself enough to calm down. His breaths were coming out short and choppy, bordering on hyperventilation, chest burning before his heart slammed against it, adrenaline racing through his veins.

Nausea clawed at his throat, and he sobbed into the rough texture of his jeans, vision blurry as his head spun so fast he thought he was going to die. Oh, God, he was going to  _ die.  _ Dominic didn’t know what was happening or how to stop it. He was at the mercy of his palpitating heart, of his trembling fingertips, of whatever was happening to him. He was going to  _ die here. _

_ Calm the fuck down! Calm... Calm down. _

He imagined Shiro pulling him into his arms, Keith leaning on their older brother’s shoulder as he gently smoothed back Dom’s hair, kissing his forehead and whispering words of reassurance like he always did when he was on the verge of a panic attack. He imagined Shiro’s warm hand rubbing circles into his back as he cried, Keith drawing in deep, calm breaths and asking if Dom could mimic him.

They did this on his first day of middle school, they did this when he finally managed to come out to his mom and she had walked out, they did this when he had woken up in the hospital after... After that night.

Slowly, Dominic willed himself to draw in a deep breath, exhaling with the accompanied words of “you’re okay.”

Inhale, “everything’s fine.”

Exhale, “you’re going to be okay.”

Inhale, “just calm down.”

Exhale, “this is alright.”

Steadily, he could feel his heart rate decreasing, and though his lungs were filled with hiccupping air, he found himself to be relaxing as he smoothed back his messy hair, wiping the sweat and dirt from his face as best as he could.

Dominic was still kind of not okay, but he was getting better.

Now that he had calmed himself, Dom drew in one last clean breath before glancing to the ground once more in search of that damn phone. He was more rigorous in his search, finally spotting it about seven feet up the hill, partially buried under some leaves. When he’d snatched it and tried to power it on, he was met with a black screen, besides the dim, flashing battery symbol with a white ‘x’ through it.

_ “Fuck,”  _ he murmured, drawing out the vowel.

He needed to find someone. He needed to somehow get in contact with someone and tell them he was okay.

“Okay,” Dominic whispered, mostly to himself, and carefully began to push himself to his feet. He had instantly stumbled, groaning lowly and clutching his injured side when something started to sting. Blood soaked through his t-shirt, and the chilly night air stung his arms as he backed up into a tree, using it for support while he tried to get his bearings.

There was a stripmall he could stop at in between his location and Oliver’s house; he could probably find a payphone or borrow a stranger’s when he got there.

And that’s how he found himself stumbling, tripping over his own feet like a drunkard while the neon-lights of the storefronts in front of him lit his path. His legs were shaking, and his vision continuously swam while his trembling hands pressed his dirty shirt into the gashes lining his ribs. How the fuck did he even get himself into this situation?

Dom probably wouldn’t make it there, he realized as his heart sank to his stomach. And, even if he did, who in their right mind would help him? A tired, probably-has-a-concussion, dirt stained, blood stained teenager with a desperate glint in his eyes stumbling into the corner store like he was high probably wouldn’t exactly make the best impression, let alone help woo someone over into handing over their phone.

“Keith?”

Dominic raised his eyes, hand on the  _ ‘buy one, get one free’  _ slushie sign right outside of the glowing 7-11 to steady himself, searching for the source of the voice.

“Ke - Oh, my God - Dom?!”

Suddenly, someone was at his side, two other people joining them quickly. Dom groaned, knees giving out on him as he finally began to collapse forward with a hitching breath. Strong arms caught him easily, scooping up under his knees to pull him to their chest bridal-style. His head dropped onto a strong shoulder, the scent of rosewood filling his senses and calming him slightly. “Sebastián...?”

“Shh,” a hand ran through his hair, and he vaguely felt the sensation of bouncing in his arms, as if Sebastián had started to jog. “You’re fine, you’re-what the hell happened to you?”

“Call... I have to call...” Who did he have to call? He had to call someone, he had to make sure... What? Where was he?

“Dom, Dominic, I need you to keep your eyes open, okay? Open your eyes, Dominic, hey,” someone shook his shoulder, and Dom’s violet eyes fluttered open to lock onto a pair of concerned golden-browns. “I’m gonna call Keith, okay? Hey-Dominic!” His voice had raised to an alarmed shout, and Dom snapped his eyes open again. Somewhere in his subconscious, he was aware of Natalia and Daniela, shouting something to their brother while he tried to smooth back Dom’s hair off of his forehead, mumbling something under his breath in spanish while Natalia dialed Keith’s number quickly.

“Look at me, beautiful, keep your eyes on me,” Sebastián whispered, running his hand through Dom’s hair before his voice dropped even lower. _ “Si mueres, te mataré, _ you idiot.”

“Here,” Natalia reached out, handing Sebastián his phone with shaking hands.

“Hello?” Dominic registered Keith’s voice on the other end, shaky and uncertain. Sebastián quickly handed the phone to Dominic, who unsteadily took it from his grasp and peered at the device, groaning to himself as something pricked in his side. 

“Hello? Dominic? Is that you?”

Dom paused in an attempt to calm himself. “...Keith?”

Not even a second had passed before pandemonium exploded from the other line, three separate voices shouting over each other as each person seemed to lunge at the phone. Dominic wasn’t quite sure who had said it, but he recognized the sentence of “what the fucking fuck happened to you, you shitface?” in the chaos.

Sebastián had slid into the seat next to Dom as his sisters dropped into the front, Daniela unsteadily starting the vehicle before speeding out of the parking lot, headed to what Dom assumed was a hospital. Tiredly, he nuzzled his face into the crook of Seb’s neck, feeling the other boy tense underneath his touch.

Dom struggled to find the right words. “...Think I got hit - by a car?”

“You fucking  _ what?”  _ That was Oliver, for sure, and his voice suddenly got a lot closer, as if he had snatched the phone from whoever had been holding it. “If you just said you got hit by a car I will  _ actually  _ cremate you alive-”

“Are you okay?” Keith interrupted him, and Dom’s lips twitched up as he imagined Keith pinching the bridge of his nose in relief. “Where the hell are you?”

“He’s fine, he’s okay,” Sebastián took the phone away, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as the younger boy curled into his side. 

“We just found him outside the old 7-11... we’re driving him up to Maple Valley Medical Center? I think he has a concussion, but otherwise, he should be fine.”

“Oh, thank God,” Keith murmured, and the sound sent a wave of reassurance through his younger brother. “I’ll call Shiro - tell Dom I’m going to chop his head off as soon as I see him.”

Sebastián chuckled, the vibrations from his chest helping Dom try to stay awake. “I’ll let him know.”

The older boy ended the call, peering down at Dominic with a soft, reassuring smile before he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to Dom’s forehead. The action sent a shiver darting down his spine, though he only hummed sleepily, too out of it to actually realize what was happening.

“We’re almost there, Dominic,” Daniela called from the driver’s seat. “Just hold on a little longer, kiddo.”

_ Hold on...  _ Dom drowsily thought to himself, willing his eyes to stay open _... A little longer... _


	9. Chapter 9

**Ch. Nine**

“Hey, woah, woah-” Lance laughed under his breath when Shiro had to grab Keith’s arm and yank it behind his back when he’d tried to swing at a doctor who’d told them they would have to wait a few additional extra minutes to see their brother.

Chris was also smiling softly, eyes trained on Keith - though the boy pretended not to notice out of spite, instead grumbling to himself and plopping down onto the seat next to Oliver. The kid was almost as anxious as he was, and Keith watched his knee bounce for what had to be ten minutes before a doctor propped open the door with her hip and told the group to enter quietly.

Dom, who was sitting in the hospital bed with his knees drawn to his chest, barely had time to brace himself before both Keith and Oliver lunged. Suddenly it was just a tangle of limbs and groaning as the three teenagers were squeezed on a hospital bed meant to fit a child.

“You stress me out,” Dom wheezed as Oliver moved to wrap his arms around his neck. Keith kissed his forehead before sitting back and blowing out a long breath of relief, Shiro standing on his other side and copying his actions.

“Hey, you loser, I’m-” Dom began to joke, but he stopped himself when Oliver drew in a long, shuddering breath, hiding his face in the crook of the younger boy’s neck. Slowly, Dominic raised his arms to embrace him, smoothing down his hair as a relieved laugh washed over him. “Hey, I’m okay, dude. Don’t cry - I’m fine.”

“Never do that again,” Oliver mumbled into his skin, and Shiro leaned over and kissed his forehead like Keith had. “Good to have you back, buddy.”

“You guys are acting like I was in a coma or something,” Dom grinned and tried to dodge Shiro’s hands. Keith frowned at his words, unnamused. “Okay, but who the fuck-”

“Language,” his older brother corrected him softly, kneeling down next to Dom’s bed. Keith rolled his eyes, adjusting his position. “I’m sorry,  _ whomst  _ the fuck-”

“Keith,” Shiro looked like he wanted throw himself off of a bridge, to which Dominic only laughed, adjusting Oliver’s position so the blond was more comfortably straddling him, arms still looped around his neck. 

Keith ignored him, tapping Dom’s shin. “Who the fuck gets hit by a fucking car in the middle of that empty-ass street at like five in the afternoon?”

“Me, apparently,” his brother grimaced at his own joke, and Keith was going to punch him if he looked up and asked “too soon?”.

Sebastián, who had been standing next to Natalia, lifted his lips in a weak attempt at a smile, but Keith saw something flash through his eyes as he glanced down to Oliver again, who looked about ready to fall asleep in Dom’s lap. He slowly raised his eyes to meet Keith’s inquisitive gaze before tearing them away to watch Daniela, who said something to Lance in amusement before the boy laughed and gently shoved her back.

Shiro had opened his mouth next to Keith, a smile tugging at his lips, but he was cut off when the door swung open, revealing a woman with messy black hair to match with an iron-pressed suit and dark red lipstick, purse clutched in one hand as the other held the door open.

The four McClain siblings, who had been keeping their respectful distance towards the left of the bed halted their conversation when they noticed the stranger, prompting the three Kogane brothers to spot her arrival. Chris tensed in his spot, peeling off of the wall as he came to stand slightly behind Takashi, who stared ahead uncertiantly. “...Ms. Kogane?”

The woman didn't respond, only stepped into the room and pushed past where Keith had been standing. The boy instantly straightened, pressing his lips into a thin line as his shoulders tensed instinctively. 

Lance cast his gaze over to where the eldest Kogane brothers were standing as if in a military salute, before looking back to the woman, who was standing in front of Dominic’s bed. Oliver stirred under her gaze, and as soon as he blinked his eyes open he drew in a sharp, cold breath, scrambling off of his friend and bumping into Natalia, who caught him instinctively.

She instantly released him with a blush, coughing and hiding her face while Oliver stood to her side, face paling at the sight of Ms. Kogane staring into his soul with those blank, icy eyes.

She turned back to Keith, who winced and cast his eyes down in submission. Lance frowned, eyes flicking between the two as he began to step forward protectively. Chris beat him to it, however, gently tugging Keith behind him as the boy’s hands trembled. 

Something stirred within Lance, and his eyebrows furrowed outwardly at the foreign feeling gnawing at his stomach. A pang of jealousy - that, at least, was recognizable - flashed through his chest as he watched Keith slowly grab onto the hem of Chris’ sweater, hiding behind his broad shoulders from his own mother. 

The woman in question turned to Shiro, who hadn’t moved, addressing him directly. “I would like a moment alone with my son.”

Shiro’s jaw clenched immediately, but he forced his chin to jerk in a nod, limbs tense and stiff as he began to turn to make his exit. Lance and Sebastián alike glanced at each other, before simultaneously turning back to the scene in front of them. Dom looked frozen in his spot, hands clenched around the blanket as he stared up at his mom in fear.

“Like hell you do,” someone whispered, and Daniela flicked her eyes up to Keith, who’s expression was dark with anger. His mom also heard, and looked back to her son rigidly. “What was that?”

Keith swallowed, and Chris slowly reached back and twined their fingers together as a silent act of comfort. The Korean neither tightened his grip nor pulled away, and Lance frowned, fists clenching at his sides. 

“Like hell you do,” his voice was steel, and Dominic raised his gaze to his brother, fear swarming in his eyes. Keith snapped his eyes to his mother, who straightened and fixed him with the same stare. “I would like a moment alone with my son.”

“Leave, Mom,” Keith tried again, but his resolve was weakening. “You’re not welcome here.”

She raised her eyebrows in astonishment, before setting her purse down onto the bedside table. The woman said nothing after that, but her message was clear. 

“C’mon, Keith,” Chris tried to pull him back, but Keith suddenly glanced down to their joined hands. It was as if he had just realized what was happening, and he jerked his wrist to his chest as if Chris had burned him. Lance searched his face for any indicators of a blush, but instead found bitterness and anger dancing in his irises.

“Keith,” Dom’s voice was quiet, but he continued anyway, pulling a pillow to his chest as if to create a barrier between himself and incoming danger. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”

Sebastián and Daniela started to make their way towards the open door, Oliver following right behind after a few cautious glances back to his best friend to make sure he was going to be okay. Natalia, Shiro, and Chris were the last ones out, leaving only Keith, Lance, Dominic, and Ms. Kogane in the room together.

The tension was thick, and Ms. Kogane’s gaze passed over Lance. He met her eyes uncertiantly, expecting malice and hatred to be staring back at him. Instead, no matter how hard he looked, he saw exhaustion, sorrow, and stress wearing the lines in her face until she broke the stare by casting her eyes to her feet.

“Keith,” Dominic whispered again, but Lance’s limbs moved on their own accord, and he seized Keith’s hand quickly, tugging him to his side. Before he could struggle, Lance dipped his head to whisper in his ear, “come on, Flower.  _ Please.” _

For whatever reason, that seemed to do the trick, and Keith only paused momentarily before leaning into his touch and allowing himself to be steered out of the room. Lance gently closed the door behind them, and Keith, surprisingly, didn’t pull away, even after they were greeted by the others in the hall.

“What...” Natalia was the first to speak up, folding her arms over her chest and leaning into the wall. “What’s going on with your mom?”

There was a long pause, and Shiro glanced to Keith, who didn’t seem to want to say anything. Takashi laughed humorlessly. “We just... Don’t have the best relationship with her.”

“Well, no shit,” Lance spoke before he could stop himself, and Daniela snorted, raising an eyebrow. Keith coughed in what seemed like an attempt to cover up a chuckle, tilting his head to rest on Lance’s shoulder. The boy glanced up, catching Chris’ eye accidentally. He was frowning softly, but otherwise his expression was far away, as if he was half-way into a daydream.

“What did she do? If - if I’m aloud to ask,” Sebastián leaned forward, clasping his hands together. He was sitting next to Oliver, and both boys were unnaturally tense, shoulders ridgid while they refused to make eye contact.

“Besides be mildly homophobic?” Keith supplied, and Lance started absentmindedly tracing shapes into his back. “She’s just never there for us, I guess. I mean, don’t get me wrong, she was at the beginning. And she’s never hit us or anything... She’s not like that. But after Dad-” Keith stopped himself abruptly, as if he was surprised he was still talking. “Why am I discussing this? Just - she’s not the best mom ever, okay?”

Silence fell over the group after he’d finished speaking, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. After a few minutes, Keith quickly detached himself from Lance’s side to go take a sip from the drinking fountain across the hall. When he came back, he dropped next to Shiro and Natalia, who instantly turned to the boy to show him something on her phone. Keith was instantly transfixed, and Lance let a soft smile slip onto his face as he watched the exchange, Keith pointing out things ever so often, which prompted Natalia to nod vigorously in response.

Turning his gaze back to where Chris was sitting, isolated, Lance took it upon himself to politely move over to the seat next to him. Chris glanced up in surprise, before turning his gaze back to his shoes upon noticing who it was. Lance grinned at the action, punching the older boy’s arm with the strength of an infant. “Didn’t know I was that hideous to look at.”

Poor Chris instantly shot his head up, shaking it in denial while Lance only laughed. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled, smiling sheepishly down at Lance. “I guess I just have a lot on my mind.”

“S’fine,” Lance waved him off, quirking an eyebrow. “What’s got you all worried, anyway?”

Chris blinked, then, eyes unfocusing for half a second before he snapped back to the present, shaking his head and letting out a long sigh. He raised his gaze to scan over the group on the other side of the hall, eyes focusing on Keith - who was grinning and tapping at Natalia’s phone while she laughed - for what seemed like a millisecond longer before he reverted them to his lap. “I can’t really... I don’t think you would understand.” He paused. “Not - not to sound rude. Just...”

“I get it.” Lance absolutely did not get it.

Chris nodded politely before focusing on Daniela, who was holding Sebastián captive in a headlock while he yelled and tried to squirm away. Both boys heaved a laugh at the sight, and Lance was about to comment on his obnoxious siblings before the hospital door to Dom’s room swung open, a nurse poking her head through. “Mr. and Mr. Kogane, your mother is requesting you,” she looked between Shiro and Keith, voice soft and hesitant.

Keith nodded and peeled away from his seat, Shiro right behind him with a comforting, brotherly hand on his shoulder as they disappeared into the stale, white room. Keith shoved his hands into his pockets to hide their anxious fidgeting, relaxing only slightly when Dominic shot him a smile from his place on the bed, picking at a hangnail on his thumb while their mom tentatively stood next to him.

“I’m eternally grateful that you’re alright,” she was murmuring in a low voice, probably only meant for Dominic to hear. Takashi and Keith began to relax nonetheless,  quietly pulling the door shut behind them while they waited for the woman to address them.

The woman turned back to her other two sons, her mouth folding into a thin, grim line that set Keith on edge because he  _ knew  _ his mom, which was contingent on whatever was about was about to come next.

“Boys,” she spoke slowly and warily, as if addressing a pack of frightened wild animals. “There’s been an accident.”

Keith instantly perked up, eyes flicking over to Dom - who rolled his eyes as if sensing his mother’s flare for dramatics - before correcting his attention again. “No shit?”

“The old drywall in the living room - it’s been chipping and cracking for months.” She continued as if he hadn’t spoken, ignoring Dom’s snort when Shiro elbowed Keith in the ribs. “I hired someone to fix it, but until then we have to find somewhere to stay.” She smoothed down her fitted, iron-pressed suit. “I’ve been looking into nice apartments to rent for the time be-”

“Woah, woah, okay,” Shiro cut her off, arms raised in a calming gesture. “Where is this all coming from? Months of barely showing your face and then-”

“-you think you can just butt into our lives with no warning and start ordering us around like rats?” Keith interrupted his older brother’s soothing voice with his own, dripping with resentment and a hint of anxiety.

“Keith,” Ms. Kogane’s voice held an octave of pleading as she pinched the bridge of her nose (a gesture Keith found himself subconsciously repeating). His mother sighed and folded her arms uncomfortably, as if trying to create a barrier in front of herself. “I know I haven’t been around a lot, Kiddo, but  _ please,  _ we have to leave - just for a little while.”

“Leave?” A muffled voice asked behind the closed door, which was followed by a few loud shushes and low groans.

Keith’s mother pressed her lips into a thin line, but Dom was snickering into his hand on the bed next to her. Shiro laughed through his nose and reached over, swiftly yanking the door open after a beat of silence. Lance, Sebastián, and Natalia stumbled through, as if they had been previously leaning against the wood, while Chris, Oliver, and Daniela stood behind them. Daniela sighed and pressed her palm to her forehead in defeat while Oliver snorted, shaking his head and leaning his shoulder against the wall.

“Sorry for the intrusion,” Natalia whispered, before clearing her throat and speaking again. “Ah- yeah, we heard you needed a place to stay?”

Ms. Kogane raised an unamused eyebrow, and Daniela cut in before her younger siblings could do any more damage. “If it’s not a bother to you, Mrs. Kogane, our Mamá really wouldn’t mind the extra helping hands. We have a big house - plenty of guest rooms, and you can stay as long as you need.”

There was a beat of terse silence echoing around the room, and Keith sucked in a sharp breath in surprise when he realized his mom was actually  _ considering  _ it. Nobody dared move, every pair of eyes zeroed in on the woman’s face. 

Finally, she spoke. “I’ll... Have to discuss it with your mom, first. But this is a  _ maybe.” _


	10. Chapter 10

**Ch. Ten**

Ah, moving day.

It was supposed to embody nervousness and excitement and everything else switching one’s habitat entails. It was  _ supposed _ to be a cliché, picturesque moment of self-discovery as the protagonist clutches two suitcases in either hand and holds their head up high, wind dramatically blowing their navy green scarf over their coat-clad shoulder. 

That’s what Keith hoped for when he exited their house that Friday afternoon, but what he was instead greeted by was Lance and Natalia McClain loudly bickering in mad-fast Spanish (to which Daniela later explained the argument was over who Keith would room with in his time there). Anton had been enthusiastically greeting him from the backseat of a minivan as Oliver and Dom sat together on the Kogane resident’s old play structure - which consisted of those old, plastic barnyard animals that were attached to the ground with a wobbly spring. Sebastián was squatting on the ground between the two, occasionally adding commentary to their conversation while the boys snorted before they could stop themselves and tried t0 pretend he wasn't funny.

“Keith,” Takashi caught his attention, and the boy glanced to his left to see his older brother attempting to heft an overflowing suitcase into the trunk while balancing Venita on his hip as she giggled and played with his hair fondly. The Korean boy hurried to his side, reaching for the suitcase and gasping in surprise when his brother practically threw a small child at him.

She, of course, laughed in delight from the half a second spent airborne before Keith shrieked a little bit and dove to catch her. 

Scrambling to keep the one-year-old upright and secure in his arms, Keith didn’t miss the laugh that had erupted from behind him. Turning hastily, the boy was surprised to see familiar brown eyes peering at him from behind silver-rimmed glasses. The kid smoothed back their messy, copper hair, not bothering to turn when a big guy with an obnoxious orange bandana tied around his head appeared behind them.

“How many - there are too many people at my house-”

“On your right!” Daniela called, and Keith squeaked in alarm when another fat suitcase practically took off his head. He clutched Venita closer to his chest as Ms. Kogane followed the eldest McClain sibling with a smaller bag.

“Pidge! Hunk! Just the people I needed to see!” Lance greeted, appearing behind Keith as the poor boy tried to dodge Anton, who raced around him to say hello to Dominic.

“Lance, you literally invited-” the big guy, who Keith assumed was Hunk, started to correct their Cuban friend, but was sharply interrupted when Lance cut him off, scooping Venita up like she weighed nothing and simultaneously wrapping an arm around Keith’s waist to securely tug him to his side. “This is Keith, he’s very fragile and emo so please handle yourselves with caution when interacting with this poor, misunderstood - oh hi, Chris!”

The presence next to Keith evaporated, and the boy stumbled in alarm as he tried to keep his balance. Pidge rolled their eyes; an amused, yet exasperated smile working its way onto their face as the group watched the bustling boy greet Chris with a kiss to the cheek before he snagged his wrist and dragged him back to the house to help with the baggage.

Keith chose to ignore the uncomfortable sting in his gut before he turned back to the two teenagers in front of them. “Guess they got close pretty fast, huh?”

“Lance and Chris?” Hunk wrinkled his nose. “Nah. At least, I don't think so. That’s just how Lance flirts. He’s really forward and straight to the point. If he likes you, you’ll know, trust me.”

Something twisted in his gut, stronger this time, but he tried to pretend it hadn’t happened, instead sucking in a long, slow breath.

“Keith?” Pidge cut in before Hunk could say anything else, peering up at their new friend curiously. “You okay, buddy? You’re looking a little pale. Well, paler than usual, you fuckin’ vampire.”

“I - yeah, I’m okay.” Keith nodded once. Well, there was one mystery solved. Lance definitely didn't like him. And - hey, that was fine. Why the fuck did it matter if Lance liked him or not? Subconsciously, he found himself shaking his head, as if attempting to clear his thoughts. It  _ didn't.  _ Shut up.

“Hunk!” Someone shouted, and the big guy suddenly jerked forward with a startled wheeze as a short brunette jumped on his back, wrapping her legs around his midsection as a makeshift piggyback before she fell.

“Hi, Natalia,” Hunk didn’t even flinch when his bandana was gently removed from his head so she could slip it onto hers. Sure, it looked two-sizes too big and was kind of awkwardly slipping down, but Keith found it slightly endearing.

“Are you ready for the Mothman conspiracy special marathon?” Natalia asked, staring down at Pidge from her place over Hunk’s shoulder. The latter had instantly nodded so fast Keith was afraid they would get whiplash. “Screw sleeping, I’m ready to-”

“Did you say Mothman?”

Three pairs of eyes locked onto his, and the poor boy barely had enough time to brace himself - he think he heard Hunk murmur a quick prayer under his breath - before two bodies tackled him to the ground and suddenly all he could hear was what sounded like two teenage girls shrieking like they were just kissed for the first time.

Keith could barely get a breath in edgewise before both Pidge and Natalia were yell-ranting; Pidge tripping over their words as Natalia whacked him weakly over and over while practically screeching in his ear. He could pick out a few key words and phrases, however, and quickly murmured a “holy shit, of course he’s real? I didn’t spend all of my birthday money on comic books for nothing??” in response.

“Oh, jeez, did I hear Mothman?” Keith vaguely registered Lance’s voice somewhere around them, before there was a short pause. “Pidge, what the quiznack did I  _ just  _ say about how fragile he is? Off, off, both of you.”

Slowly, Pidge and Natalia began to peel themselves away from Keith. The boy glanced up to see the two pairs of blue and gold eyes staring down at him curiously.

He groaned lowly, peeling himself off the ground and ignoring Chris’ outstretched hand to help him up. He would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't still bitter over everything that’d happened between them. Sure, Chris had been all buddy-buddy with him over the past week, but that didn't mean Keith had forgotten Chris still never told him why they’d broken up.

Lance looped his arm around Chris’ waist like he’d done to Keith earlier. This time, however, Chris was stiff a board, and Keith ignored the prick of satisfaction he’d felt in his heart when the older boy didn't relax into his touch. Pidge was still observing Keith curiously, as if trying to piece together exactly how the cogs turned in his brain.

Before he could comment on their odd stare, Pidge redirected their gaze to Natalia, who was approaching Keith giddly while Lance chatted on with Hunk. The Korean boy raised a cautious eyebrow upon realizing she was beaming up at him with the intention of talking.

“The Mothman special? It’s tonight, starting at eight. You’re coming ov - wait,” her eyes lit up. “Oh, my God! You’re staying at my house! Alright, that’s it, no excuses. You’re watching it. If we’re lucky, we might even be able to convince Seb to come with us?”

“I don't know...” Keith stalled. Honestly, the only thing he wanted to do at eight was find a bed and sleep through the weekend.

“You know you want to,” Pidge prompted, grinning mischievously and and crossing their arms. “We won't even watch the whole thing, anyway. It’ll just be background noise while we gossip.”

Keith wrinkled his nose. “What makes you think I want to gossip?”

“You have gossip?” Natalia watched Shiro load up the last bag and gently shut the trunk of Mrs. McClain’s van. Pidge snorted as Seb, Dom and Oliver stood and began making their way towards them. “This boy’s got so much gossip he’s practically drowning in it, my friend.”

Keith’s mouth fell open, perhaps to interject, but Shiro passed him and ruffled his hair on his way to the passenger seat. Daniela was behind the wheel silently, drumming her fingers on the dash while she waited for everyone else to pile in as well.

Although Keith hadn't technically met Mamá McClain, both Shiro and his mother had already introduced themselves. Takashi looked almost dazed when he’d stumbled into the living room Wednesday night, and Ms. Kogane had rolled her eyes and quickly explained how talkative and affectionate Lance’s mom had been.

He had never been more nervous to meet another human being in his  _ life.  _ And the worst part was? He had absolutely no idea why.

“Two per seat!” Shiro called from the front of the van, glancing back to the kids piling into the back. As Dom dropped down next to Natalia, Sebastián strapping Venita into her carseat before squishing in next to Anton, Keith fit himself in like a puzzle piece next to Lance, turning to wave out the window at Oliver, Pidge, and Hunk as the van backed out of the driveway steadily.

Lance must have noticed some form of surprise registering on Keith’s face as they slowly descended down the block, and he gently nudged the boy to prompt him. Keith blinked, shaking his head slowly. “I mean - it’s just... You’re the only one in your family that actually seems to have a death wish when sitting behind a wheel?”

His response actually startled a laugh out of the Cuban boy, who dipped his head slightly to shake it in disbelief. “You... You’re impossible, you know that, Flower?”

“Thanks,” Keith murmured, observing the way Lance leaned back against the leather seat behind them, allowing his eyes to flutter closed as he let out a long breath. It confused Keith, how the boy could so easily switch personalities in a matter of minutes. Something must have been wrong with Keith in that moment, however, because whispering “it’s like a mask,” to himself caused Lance’s eyes to flick open and suddenly those mesmerizing blue irises were locked onto his. “What is?”

There was a long moment of silence as Keith tried to gather his thoughts and resist the urge to catapult himself out of this moving vehicle at the same time, twisting his fingers together cautiously. Finally, he spoke with a bit of tentative curiosity to his voice. “One minute, you’re this bubbly, talkative person who can never sit still and always has to be either on the move or with someone at his side.”

Lance had gone still, though his eyes tracked Keith’s movements, locking onto every twitch of his nose and flutter of his dark, thick eyelashes as the Korean subconsciously untucked a piece of hair that had come to rest behind his ear. Lance’s face was unreadable, and Keith didn’t really know if it was a good idea to continue speaking or not at that point before Lance responded, voice hollow and steady. “And the next?”

“And the next...” Keith breathed, continuing to tuck and untuck his fingers from the cuffs of his hoodie. “And the next, even if it’s just... Just for a  _ millisecond,  _ something flashes in your eyes and your face goes blank and you’re just so... So calm. So... Not... Lance.”

Neither dared broke the silence for another minute, and Keith vaguely wondered if Lance could hear the pounding of his heart in the unnaturally silent van because  _ he  _ certainly could and he would actually crawl into a hole and never resurface ever again and - and Lance had just spoken and  _ oh God what did he say? _

They were both trapped in an unbreakable stare, Lance waiting for Keith to respond and Keith fumbling for words because holy shit his crush was just kind of looking at him and what were you even supposed to  _ say  _ in a situation like this - every possible answer he could fathom all led to the same obvious answer in which Keith  _ still  _ wanted to die.

He didn’t know how much time had passed because suddenly Lance was leaning away from him, Daniela pulling the van into a long driveway that led to a tall, two story house that Keith had begun to grow familiar with - even if he had only visited once.

Natalia whooped as she climbed out of the seat she shared with Dom, and Lance coughed and rubbed his jaw as he waited for Seb to step out before him. Anton turned to Keith when the Korean boy was safely on the sidewalk next to him, taking his hand to lead him up the small walkway in front of them.

“C’mon, Flower, loosen up!” Lance shouted boisterously, climbing out of the van to stand next to Dom, before throwing an arm around his shoulders. The kid whined and tried to duck away, and Keith wondered if perhaps he was imagining it and that Lance -  _ this  _ Lance; the cheerful, obnoxious version - was in fact the only “mask” he’d ever put on. Keith continued to curse himself all the way up to the door;  _ ‘it’s like a mask?’  _ are you fucking  _ kidding  _ me? Who says that to start a conversation?  _ Accidentally,  _ on top of that!

His thoughts stopped when the ten-year-old gently tugged him into the house. Keith inhaled, the familiar scent of peppermint and baked-goods filling his nose as he tried to cling onto the nurturing feeling that seemed like it had seeped through to his very bones upon entering the house. There was a clattering noise from the kitchen, and Anton held the door open for the others while not-so-gently ushering Keith further into the building. “Ma? We’re back!”

The clattering came to a stop, and Keith tensed as he braced himself to finally meet the famous Mamá McClain as a set of quick footsteps rang out from just down the hall. Someone came to a stop just behind Keith, and after there was a light brush of knuckles to his arm in something like reassurance, he didn't have to turn to see who it was.

A woman emerged from around the corner, and Keith wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. She was definitely on the shorter side, her dark brown hair tucked back into a messy, curly ponytail. Smile lines carved her face, along with more natural wrinkles that came with age. She wasn’t thin, but she wasn't fat by far as her loose, blue t-shirt fit over her plump curves that one would have after bearing six children, though her smile distracted Keith from any imperfections he could have spotted. She was... She was a  _ mom,  _ and that realization was so foreign and new to Keith that he actually found the breath lost from his lungs.

_ “Buenas tardes _ , Mamá!” Anton greeted, and she reached down to kindly pinch his cheek in greeting before turning to Keith warmly. He didn’t quite know what to say in this situation, but before he could do anything she didn’t hesitate and reached behind him swiftly. Keith heard the  _ smack  _ of skin on skin as Mrs. McClain whacked someone upside the head, who whined and retreated.

“What did I tell you about breathing down people’s necks?!” She scolded Lance, who laughed and tried to duck away. She persisted, still. “It’s  _ rude! Por el amor de Dios,  _ Lance! You will never find a boyfriend if you act like this!”

“Mamá, please!” Lance squealed, darting to hide behind Daniela, who rolled her eyes.

“You must be Keith,” Mrs. McClain, with no warning, turned back to him professionally, another kind smile breaking her features as if the last few seconds had never happened. “Come in, come in.”

The raven-haired boy didn't know what else to do but comply to her orders, so he shuffled into the large entryway while the others followed suit. 

“Mrs. McClain, hello,” Ms. Kogane greeted as she followed Shiro inside, who nodded politely at the woman. “Thank you again for letting us stay, Ma’am.”

“Please, call me Camila. Mrs. McClain makes me feel old.” The woman took his large hand with both of her petite ones. “And it’s absolutely no problem at all, my dear.” Camila McClain turned to Keith’s mother, reaching out for a warm hug in greeting. Ms. Kogane, although stiff as a board, politely patted her on the shoulder in return, seemingly all of the affection she could muster.

Now finally clustered together inside, the group shifted from foot to foot as Camila clasped her hands together with another gracious smile. “Good, we’re all here. Feel free to move your things in whenever you need to, and we can figure out the rooming situation later tonight. In the meantime, who wants to help me finish dinner?”


	11. Chapter 11

**Ch. Eleven**

Keith sat at a long-ass table in a long-ass dining room, squished between Natalia and Shiro as the clinking of forks against plates filled the otherwise silent house, accompanied by the murmuring and stifled laughter of the kids that shared the room. 

Ten people were in the middle of digging into  _ ropa vieja _ , a traditional Cuban dish, and Keith was busy nibbling on the occasional forkful when, under the table, he felt a socked foot forcefully bump into his own. Raising his eyes to the seat across from him, Lance sat quietly, focused on his food and nothing else.

Keith passed it off as an accident and continued to eat, savoring the taste as best as he could. He jerked back in the next second, however, because suddenly that same damn foot was on his leg. He instinctively kicked back with the intention of murder, and Lance followed suit, hitting the ball of his foot onto Keith’s toes. The Korean pressed his hand to his lips to hide the smile that he could feel beginning to grow, bumping him back. Lance snorted, a grin lifting his lips.

After another hit on Lance’s end, Keith hummed, stretching his foot so his toenails could be felt through the sock and jabbing them into Lance’s foot before he could raise suspicion.

Lance yelped and jerked back, loudly slamming his knee into the underside of the table so hard the dinner plates shook. Keith coughed into a laugh before he could stop himself, covering his face with his hands as his shoulders began to shake. Lance also huffed a grin when his siblings had instinctively quieted, and Keith felt his toes twitch against where they were resting on his leg.

“Lance, Keith, stop playing footsie under the table and help with the dishes,” Daniela called from where she stood at the sink, and Keith could hear Sebastián trying to muffle his laughter from the other end of the table. Lance rolled his eyes but pushed his chair back nonetheless, scooping up his plate, along with Venita and Dominic’s. 

Keith followed suit, politely taking Natalia’s plate as well as his own when he noticed she was done. Lance was standing quietly behind Daniela as he waited for her to step aside, and Keith joined him, choosing to ignore the tingling feeling that flashed through his chest when their shoulders brushed. Lance glanced over with a pout, hands tightening around his plate. “You stabbed me!”

Keith couldn't help but chuckle at the ridiculousness of the statement, raising his eyebrows incredulously. “With my feet?”

“You know damn well what you did,” Lance retorted, sticking his nose in the air. Keith didn't take his statement too seriously, as Daniela turned, whacking him upside the head before pushing her long hair over her shoulder. “Language.”

“That’s not even a curse word!” Lance whined without hesitation, rubbing his temple, and Keith found himself throwing his head back with a sharp laugh. “You have one of those, too?”

“One of what?” The Cuban boy began to gently rinse off the plates in his hands, looking back to Keith as his friend snorted, glancing at Takashi. “One of  _ those.” _

“Oh, yeah,” Lance nodded, stepping slightly to the left to allow Keith access to the sink while he began loading the dishwasher. “Daniela’s not as bad as Shiro, though. She mostly just does it to piss me off.”

“Siblings are funny like that,” Keith agreed, sighing to himself as he squatted next to Lance, sliding the dinnerware into their respective slots. Lance said nothing more, but he gently bumped his shoulder into Keith’s again, as if a silent acknowledgment between the two that whatever strange awkwardness that had happened in the car was in the past, and to forget about it.

Keith wasn't sure if he would forget about it any time soon, however, but he was damn sure he wasn't gonna bring it up again if that’s what Lance wanted.

_ Fuck,  _ he was so gay.

“It’s seven fifteen!” Natalia called from the table, smoothing back Venita’s hair before scooping the child into her arms. “Forty-five minutes!”

“Until what?” Lance called back, and Keith rolled his eyes, huffing a laugh. “The Mothman special. I think she's more excited than I am, surprisingly.”

“Can I join?” Lance was already making his way back to the table, hand on his hip, and Sebastián wrinkled his nose. “I thought you said Mothman was a load of bull-”

“That was in the  _ past,”  _ Lance dismissed him quickly, taking Shiro’s plate from his hands before the man could protest. “It’s totally grown on me.”

“No, no, nope. Absolutely not!” A new, familiar voice called from just down the hall as the front door closed quietly. Pidge appeared in the kitchen, making their presence known with a quick knock on the wall. “No boys allowed.”

“But Keith-”

“Pidge!” Camila greeted from the end of the table, rising from her seat to move towards the teenager. “Come, come! Sit, eat. You’re too skinny. We have to fatten you up, yes?”

“Thanks, Camila, but I just had dinner,” Pidge denied her offer gently, but they were scooted over to an empty chair nonetheless. The older woman pushed a plate towards them swiftly. “Nonsense. If nothing else, let me feed you dessert.”

“Well,” Pidge considered it after a beat of silence. “...Dessert never hurt anyone, I guess.”

“That’s the spirit!” Sebastián grinned. He glanced over, catching Keith’s eye just as the boy began to stand in front of the sink. “Ke-”

“No! Nope, absolutely not. I’m stealing him for the forty-five minutes before your stupid show and your plan that,” he paused to roll his eyes. “I’m sure, at this point, involves me somehow.”

“Plan?” Natalia and Pidge sputtered simultaneously. “What- we would  _ never _ -”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lance grabbed Keith’s hand, yanking him towards the stairs with no warning. The boy stumbled but said nothing in response, allowing Lance to lead him. Once they’d reached the landing, Lance’s grip slackened, but he didn't completely let go. Keith scanned the family photos decorating the walls, eyes tracing over each smiling face. 

Lance noticed the lag in their stride and glanced behind him curiously. Keith was hesitating next to a group photo, eyes unmoving. Lance stepped behind him and blew out a small puff of air upon seeing who had caught his attention.

“Is that your Papá?” Keith spoke before Lance could say anything, and the Cuban boy blinked at his sudden words. Without much hesitation, he dipped his chin to rest on Keith’s red, sweater-clad shoulder.

The ravenet tensed at the unwanted contact, heart already beginning to race. He wanted to tell Lance to move; he was about to do it, too, but Lance stopped him when he began to speak in a wistful, far away voice.

“Yeah. He was in the army, you know. Best in his class. I knew him for most of my life, you know? By far, the best man I’ve ever met.”

Lance’s fond smile faltered, and Keith was afraid to speak. “He would have liked you, I think. A couple years ago, we were getting letters every week. I’ve never seen Sebastián so excited to get something before that. And... Gradually, we started getting them once a month.” His voice had dimmed to a whisper. “And then they stopped coming all together.”

Neither boy moved, and the silence ringing through the hall next was almost excruciating to Keith. At last, Lance broke it again with his final sentence, voice barely audible. “Two men from his team showed up at our house a week later to break the news; but I think, really, we all already kinda knew.”

Keith didn’t know what to say, or how to react. He didn’t know if he should turn and hug his friend, or offer his condolences, or  _ something.  _ He felt tempted to make a joke to clear the tension around them, but this was  _ death.  _ This wasn’t - this wasn’t just death, this was Lance’s  _ Papá’s  _ death. And Keith would suffocate himself before he joked about that. As he thought of something to say, words pushed out of his lips with no warning, surprising both himself and Lance just as much.

“How are you so  _ brave?” _

There wasn’t even a second after he’d said it that Lance jerked back as if Keith had burned him, and Keith, once again, wanted to drive his fist into his face for acting so impulsively.

He turned, locking eyes with the boy directly across the hall, electrifying blue boring into cold violet. Lance ran a hand through his hair, but he didn’t seem that bothered, unlike what Keith had originally anticipated. Instead, he let out a laugh that Keith didn't  _ quite  _ think was real, before shaking his head as if about to state the oldest fact in history. “If you think I’m brave, princess, you don’t know what brave  _ is.” _

And then he was gone, down the hallway with a call to follow before he slipped into the third door down. Keith couldn’t do anything else but sprint after him, pausing for only a second to study the chipping blue wood of his bedroom door, before stepping into the room that smelled like lavender and closing the door gently behind him.

“Okay,” Lance’s hands were on his hips as he scanned the room around him, but the phrase was more directed at himself than to Keith. “We can move the inflatable mattress next to my bed, and probably clear out some closet and drawer space for your clothes and other things. Oh, clothes. You can just borrow mine until we get yours in here.”

“Wait, hold on,” Keith halted him, only half-joking. “Who said we were sharing a room?”

“Um, me. Just now. Is there a problem with that, Flower?” Lance teased right back, raising an eyebrow as Keith dropped onto his bed, crossing his legs before resting his hands on his ankles like a child. The Korean pretended to think for a minute, to which Lance snorted and turned back to his closet, pulling open the door and beginning to shuffle through his pjs. 

After a moment, he threw something back to Keith, who was momentarily blinded by cloth before he was able to peel it away from his face. Both the white shirt and azul pants were soft to the touch, not at all what Keith was used to. Lance only glanced back for a second to make sure he’d successfully made the toss. “You can use those for tonight. Be grateful, that’s pretty much my only clean pair.”

Keith watched Lance’s back for a few seconds, before slowly lifting the fluffy shirt to his nose, inhaling the other boy’s scent curiously. He was overwhelmed with lavender and oakwood, with a hint of what appeared to be freshwater, like the sea. He gently set the pile of clothing onto the bedside next to him, slipping the hem of his shirt over his head to toss aside. 

Lance startled at the sound of clothing hitting the floor, but he didn't turn. He stilled, listening quietly to the sounds of shuffling behind him. His hands were immobile, paused in their search through his hanging clothes as Keith grunted in discomfort from somewhere behind him. “Why are your clothes so baggy?”

The Cuban boy glanced over his shoulder, observing the way his pants, which fit relatively well, were still far too long and draped over his socked feet. The shirt wasn't much better; it hung off of Keith’s now bare shoulder as the rest of the fabric covered all but the tips of his fingertips.

“I look ridiculous. We’re like, the same size!” He whined in defeat, and Lance pursed his lips. “If by ‘the same size’ you mean I am a perfectly normal height while you’re unnaturally stubby and low to the ground, then yes. We are, in fact, the same size.”

“I’m only like an inch-” Keith stopped himself, as if silently acknowledging he was fighting a losing battle. “Being shorter has its advantages, you know. I’m only that much closer to Satan.”

Lance choked on a surprised laugh, hand covering his mouth while Keith watched on, unamused. He then drew his eyes to the messy bedside table next to where Keith stood, uncomfortably trying to draw the shirt back onto his shoulder. Lance moved towards it, picking up a familiar device and fiddling with a few of the buttons.

“What is-” Keith began to ask, but his voice cut off when he realized what the other boy was holding. He shook his head quickly, knowing full well what was about to come. “No, no, what the  _ fuck? _ What is this, 2005?”

“Shh,” Lance quieted him, voice leaving no room for argument as he set the gray iPod Shuffle back onto the cluttered desk. It began to unceremoniously blast out terribly outdated Taylor Swift songs from 2012, and Keith folded his arms to his chest.  _ “Why?” _

“Why not?” Lance shrugged, already beginning to move to the beat. “We have time to kill.”

Keith watched him as he began to sway to the bass, holding a hand out with the most gentleman-y bow. “May I have this dance?”

No way. Absolutely no way. No  _ way  _ was Keith going to submit himself to such torture, which was sure to lead to embarrassment, and he would never be able to look his firstborn in the eye because he cursed them with such terrible genes because Keith absolutely could not, would not, should  _ never ever ever  _ dance.

Fucking hell, he placed his hand in Lance’s.

The younger boy wasted no time pulling Keith flush against him, and Keith forced his face to remain impassive. One of his hands found themselves on Lance’s shoulder while the other was still interlocked with Lance’s hand. He felt a pressure on his waist, as if the other boy was tentatively holding him there.

“I can’t dance,” Keith broke the tension as they slowly started to rock back and forth, ignoring the heat that was surely creeping up his neck. Lance smirked, and Taylor kept playing in the background as he reached up, adjusting Keith’s hand before returning his to his waist. “Sure you can. Everyone can dance, some people just don't know how.”

Keith wrinkled his nose. “Isn’t that what I just said?”

Lance shook his head but said nothing else, eyes focused on their feet below them. Gently, he began to lead Keith to the beat, and Keith followed as best as he could, trying not to trip and step on Lance’s foot. Keith was stiff and awkward the entire time, shoulders rigid while Lance seemed to move naturally.

“Thinking you can’t do something is much different from just not knowing how.  _ Can’t  _ is a restriction. Never say you can’t. Not knowing  _ how  _ is a learning curve. Everybody can dance, even you.” Lance’s voice was far away as he continued to micro-tweak their position, as if he’d heard the phrase hundreds of thousands of times and was just repeating it from a distant memory.  

Keith wanted to comment on it. “Taylor’s voice is grating on my ears. Can we stop?” He said instead.

“Taylor is a goddess,” Lance murmured, finally raising his eyes to lock onto Keith’s. There was a brief moment of silence, both teenagers completely freezing in their spots as they, perhaps, realized just how close in proximity they seemed to be.

And then... And then it was Lance pulling away this time, face mostly neutral except for the slight incline of his left eyebrow. Keith backed up a step as well, posture tense and immovable. He knew he had to break the tension, so, naturally, he’d said the first thing that had come to his lips. “Your breath smells really bad.”

Holy shit let him  _ die. _

Lance blinked at Keith for the next few seconds, expression crossing into pure astonishment. But, surprisingly, he threw his head back and began to laugh.

Keith stood there like an idiot, blush dusting his cheeks as the sixteen-year-old giggled, a hand covering his mouth to try to muffle the sound. “What the  _ fuck,  _ Keith?”

“It does!” Keith lied, beginning to grin along with his friend. “Like, what  _ died  _ in your throat-”

“Shut up!” Lance was openly laughing now, and he lunged forward to try to cover Keith’s mouth. The boy shrieked in an attempt to thwart his efforts, dodging out of his way. “Like, is it some kind of new seafood, or-” he choked on his laugh when Lance made a grab for him again, jumping past him so he stood on his other side. 

Lance dove forward with no warning, wrapping his arms securely around Keith’s waist before hoisting him up so his torso was completely over his shoulder. Keith let a choked gasp escape his lips before he laughed again, slamming the sides of his fists onto Lance’s back. “Let me  _ down,  _ you moron!”

“What’s the magic word?” Lance jostled him again, and Keith fisted the bottom of his shirt in an attempt to stabilize himself. “Fuck you!”


	12. Chapter 12

**Ch. Twelve**

“That’s right, Rob,” David Vasquez laughed at his coworker, before turning back to the camera. “For those of you just tuning in, Mothman is a big part of Virginia folklore reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area from November 12, 1966, to December 15, 1967. The first newspaper report was published in the  _ Point Pleasant Register _ dated November 16, 1966, titled ‘Couples See Man-Sized Bird… Creature… Something’.” He cleared his throat, peering at the stack of papers in front of him as if he wasn’t sure what he, himself, was reading. “The national press soon picked up the reports and helped spread the story across the country, and the rest is history.”

“Thanks, David,” Rob nodded with a warm smile. “Why don’t we check in with the crew? They should be finished gearing up, so join us after the commercial break to see the exciting exploration of the very place he was first seen all those years ago.”

Pidge sucked on their ring pop thoughtfully, wide caramel eyes glued to the screen in front of the group. It was Natalia who spoke up first, pushing a handful of popcorn into her mouth before pointing towards the screen, spewing crumbs all over her lap. “You know,” she started through her mouthful. “I think David’s sucking Rob’s dick on the side.”

Keith snorted, spilling some of his own handful of popcorn onto the couch from the surprise. “I wouldn’t be surprised at this point.”

Pidge’s eyes were on the screen still, observing some infomercial for a few more seconds before suddenly they were laser-focused on Keith, eyes narrowed almost uncomfortably so. “Alright, let’s talk about your fucking gay-ass crush on my dearest older brother.”

It was Natalia’s turn to choke, coughing up some more popcorn onto her jeans. “Keith has a crush on Matt?”

“No, Lance.”

“But Lance isn’t-”

“Wait, who said I-”

“Don’t fucking start this denial shit with me, Kogane. I can see right through your act.” Pidge waved an accusatory finger in his face. Natalia dipped her head so her chin rested in her palm, raising her eyebrow. “Wait, is this supposed to be a _new_ revelation that Keith has a thing for Lance? I was expecting gossip, not old news. You disappoint me, Pidge.”

Keith’s shoulders slumped before he could stop them. “Is it really  _ that  _ obvious?”

Natalia and Pidge both sighed, and the younger girl reached out to pat his head sympathetically. Keith groaned, covering his face with his hands with a new sense of embarrassment.

“Hey, it’s not  _ that  _ bad. At the very least, Lance has absolutely no idea.” Pidge tried to reassure him, rubbing his back with a disarming smile. “So, I mean...”

“Tell me a secret, both of you. That’ll at least make me feel a little better about my pride.” Keith snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose while Natalia smothered her giggles. “Okay, okay, Mr. Grumpy-Pants. Hm... Pidge, you go first while I think.”

“What? Why me?” Pidge scoffed, eyebrows creasing. “I have no secrets. I’m literally an open book. You know my gender, my sexuality, my family life. There’s nothing more to tell, unless you want to know what my least favorite code pattern is.”

Keith groaned again, trying to make himself sound as pitiful as possible (which, really, wasn’t that far from how he felt). To their left, the basement door pushed open at the top of the stairs, and Daniela’s face appeared over the railing of the stairs. “What are we doing down here?”

“Sharing secrets,” Natalia and Pidge spoke in unison, ignoring Keith’s scoff at the end. Daniela paused, before spinning on her heel and speed walking back up the stairs. “You have fun with that, see you tomorrow!”

There was another beat of silence echoing through the cold room, and Keith and Pidge had to make only a second of eye-contact before the group of three was springing to their feet, racing after her. “Daniela~!”

Natalia was the first up the stairs and out the door, catching the girl by her wrist just as she was about to escape through the kitchen. “Hold on, hold on, hermana. Where, pray tell, do you think you’re going?”

“Let me go,” Daniela ordered, rolling her eyes. “I’m not participating in anything you’re about to suggest.”

“Aw, come on, please?” Pidge took her other hand, pulling their best puppy-dog eyes. “Come reveal your deepest, darkest secrets to us?”

“No.”

_ “Daniela~”  _ Natalia drew out her name, cold hands still clasped deftly around her wrist.  _ “Please...?  _ There’s nothing to do, and we’re so bored. So, so very bored. And you obviously have something you’re hiding.” She paused. “Wait did you get someone pregnant?” There was another pause as she seemed to catch her mistake. “Holy fuck, biology -  _ are  _ you pregnant?”

“What? No! It’s nothing like that!” Daniela denied instantly, and Pidge raised their eyebrows, a grin growing on their features. “So you  _ admit  _ you have a secret!”

“No - holy shit, can you just-”

“How long have you been keeping said secret?” Natalia prompted, and Daniela took a step back, chest rising and falling slightly quicker as an overwhelmed expression crossed her features. 

“Guys, cut it out,” Keith spoke up, rubbing the back of his neck as he peered up at their little group. “Look at her, she’s on the verge of hyperventilation.”

His words seemed to snap Natalia out of her trance, and she looked up towards her older sister, almost instantly releasing her grip and stepping back. “Woah, I’m sorry. Too far, got it. We’ll stop pushing. Are you okay?”

“I’m-” she drew in a long breath, nodding quickly. “Yeah, I just - I need some air.”

Pidge and Natalia followed the girl with their eyes, expressions softening tenfold. Pidge’s eyebrows were drawn together, and an expression of guilt crossed their face. “Damn, I feel bad, now.”

“I wonder what kind of a secret could be so bad she almost had a panic attack over it?” Natalia spoke up, crossing her arms before reaching up and tucking a strand of long brown hair behind her ear.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Keith decided, and he only saw Natalia begin to raise her eyebrows in surprise before he was gone, stepping through the house quickly on his way to the back door, where his friend had slipped through to escape.

He found her after a few minutes of searching, leaning against the side of the house with a cigarette held between her lips.

“That’s bad for you, you know,” Keith spoke tentatively as he joined her, watching her jump and glance to her left. She dropped the cancer stick into the grass, killing it with the toe of her boot. “What do you want, Keith? I’m not-”

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

The girl paused, and Keith took a moment to trace her features with his eyes. Her face was narrow, not unlike Lance’s, but the light touches of makeup helped it look slightly more masculine. It wasn’t a huge difference, but it was there, and she took a strand of her long brown hair between her fingers, threading them through it. 

Daniela drew in a slow breath, expression hardening. “I like girls, okay? Are you happy, now? Are you satisfied? Leave, Keith.”

Keith studied her expression for some time after that, leaning his shoulder against the house next to him but making no move to walk away. “No. You’re hurting. You’re  _ still  _ hurting. So what if you’re gay? Lance is into dick, you know. That’s not... That’s not what you’re worried about, is it?”

He’d caught her. That was it. Her face paled, if only momentarily, and she tore her eyes away to study the scenery in front of them, pursing her lips in a silent acknowledgment.

“Hey, look - you don’t have to tell me. That’s not what I’m here for, you know? I just have to make sure you’re okay before I let this go.” Keith turned so his back was against the house, sliding down until he was sitting on the dewy grass, knees pressed to his chest. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if someone else was hurting and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Daniela McClain halted her thoughts, once again, staring down at her brother’s friend in some variation of shock. She glared hard at him, trying to will the Korean to look up and meet her gaze, but he didn’t move, staring at the hills and fields in the distance with tired eyes.

She couldn’t get past his choice of words, however. The longer she registered them, the more they appeared heavy, as if every syllable carried weight. As if he had seen... As if he had been through... Something. Something? What something? What could have happened that warranted those eyes, wise beyond his years, to appear so  _ aged  _ and  _ tired? _

A pang of sympathy welled in her chest, and her glare softened. She also slid down to his level, mimicking his position so she could rest her cheek on her drawn-in kneecaps, facing away from him.

Next to her, Keith watched her in his peripheral vision, shoulders beginning to relax at the oddly comfortable silence. She reminded him of Shiro, in a way. The girl had a protective air around her, and he assumed it was just because she was the eldest of her five siblings. Either way, he felt himself drawn to it, and simply because of that, Keith began to like her more than he already had.

The silence stretched between them, and Keith wondered if, perhaps, he should say something and break it. He didn't have to wonder for long, because soon she drew in a shuddering breath, as if trying to psych herself up.

She still wasn't looking at him, though Keith didn’t mind, if it helped somehow. Her hands were clenched into fists around her ankles, and if Keith looked close enough he could almost see them beginning to tremble. The poor boy had to bite his lip from asking if she was alright, though what she whispered next shocked him into silence.

“I’m... I’m transgender.”

Keith didn’t move for another few moments, and she finally raised her head, meeting his gaze with tears beginning to spill from her eyes. “I’m - I’m a boy, Keith.”

Now, as you can probably tell, Keith wasn't much of a hugger. He didn't enjoy it, and he rarely initiated one himself. But... Seeing his friend like that, tears spilling down rosy cheeks; bitten from the cold, body trembling while he could almost  _ see  _ the resounding ache in their chest that came with coming out - he knew the feeling well. Keith wasn't much of a hugger, but before he knew it he had moved, throwing his arms around Daniela’s neck in the most heartfelt, protective embrace he could muster.

His friend startled, hands half-raised into the air from the surprise. Keith only held on tighter, trying to project everything he was feeling as best as he could. Then Daniela’s arms were around him, tears wetting his shoulder as a sob wrenched through the chilly afternoon air.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Hey, hey, you’re fine.” He spoke in a hushed voice. “It’s fine, you’re fine. This is okay; you’re okay. I  _ promise,  _ you’re alright.”

Daniela was clinging to Keith as if he were a liferaft and she was drowning at sea -  _ he  _ was drowning at sea, and Keith smoothed back his hair as best as he could, rocking them both back and forth in a comforting nature like he’d done with Dominic so many times before.

He waited like that, his friend hiding his face in the crook of Keith’s neck while the Korean boy whispered words of reassurance into the air, his heart already beginning to hurt because he’d seen how  _ afraid  _ Daniela had looked just before he’d spoken, just before he’d spilled out his biggest secret to a boy he’d only known for a short period of time. He’d shared his biggest secret to a boy he’d only known for a short period of time before his  _ family,  _ and that’s what struck the most amount of sympathy within Keith.

“They’ll accept you,” he decided to voice his thoughts. “I swear on my life this is all going to turn out completely fine, Daniel.”

The eldest McClain child pulled away from him quickly, and they locked eyes. Keith couldn't read anything, and he wondered if he had crossed a line somehow, but... Daniel drew in another cold, shuddering breath and wiped his eyes, coughing a despairing laugh, smile wobbly. An outsider might have thought he was on the brink of sobbing again, but, to Keith, he almost appeared to glow. 

_ “...Thank you.” _

+++

Keith blinked at the ceiling of Lance’s dark bedroom, reflecting on his day. The digital clock on his nightstand read  _ 2:28am,  _ yet our protagonist simply could not find it in him to drift to sleep.

It was sprinkling outside, and the obnoxious sound of the rain lightly tapping on the old house was just enough stimulation to keep his eyes glued open. He was lying on the inflatable mattress, blankets strewn around him while he unsuccessfully attempted to grasp at unconsciousness.

It was just... So  _ much  _ to reflect on.

The bed next to him creaked, and Lance sat up, rubbing his eyes and grumbling something under his breath. “Look, man, I get that it’s been a long day, but you don't have to whisper about it to yourself.”

“I wasn't-” Keith snapped, but Lance shot him a pointed look and he shut himself up. It wasn't unlikely that he had been talking to himself; he was stressed and that could have become a subconscious coping mechanism.

To his left, Lance let out a long, drawn out, obnoxious groan, voice wavering as he held it. Keith glanced up, barely having enough time to prepare for the teenager next to him, who was slowly rolling onto his side, and then his other side, and suddenly he was falling off of his bed and landing on top of Keith, who shrieked.

“Get  _ off  _ of me, you fatass!” He scolded, trying to shove at Lance who only sighed drearily, stretching his arms out while he lay on top of his friend, unceremoniously popping his back as if he were just getting done with a workout. Keith whined like a child, still pushing at Lance’s arm, who only laughed and slid to the right. “You’re so weak, Flower. No wonder you can't push me off, have you seen your twig arms?”

“Did... Did you just make a pun?” Keith spoke into the empty air, and Lance laughed again, rolling onto his side so he was facing Keith, who was still staring at the ceiling. “Not intentionally, but yeah, I did.”

Keith paused before sighing and turning so their faces were but inches apart, ice blue staring into stormy violet. 

“It’s Saturday tomorrow,” Keith whispered, and he couldn't really see that well, but he felt Lance nod against his pillow. “You wanna know my plan?”

Keith snorted, grabbing a blanket that had bunched up near his feet and pulling it over himself in an attempt to get warmer. “What’s your plan, Lance?”

“So glad you asked,” Lance also snatched a blanket, cocooning himself so he matched Keith, both boys’ feet poking out from where the cloth didn't cover. “We’re gonna go to the mall.” He held out a hand to stop the groan Keith was about to let out, raising his eyebrows. “But  _ Chris  _ is gonna be there! We have a  _ deal.” _

“Fuck you,” Keith announced, rolling onto his other side so Lance was staring at his back. He was powerless to refuse, but that didn't mean he wanted Lance to know that. “Cut it out with the ‘Flower’ crap, too.”

The room was silent for the next few seconds, but suddenly Lance’s voice filled it, his words freezing the breath in Keith’s throat. “You and Chris know each other. You used to. It’s obvious. I... What happened?”

He stared at the back of Keith’s head, expecting the middle Kogane brother to snap at him to shut up, or at least turn to glare at him until he stopped talking. But he was silent. He was silent, and unmoving, and Lance didn't know if that was worse.

Finally, the blanket was pulled tighter around Keith, as if his fist had clenched where it was holding the fabric in place. “Goodnight, Lance.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Ch. Thirteen**

“This is stupid,” Keith voiced his thoughts from where he was leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest as he glared blankly at the space in front of him. “He literally has no idea we’re here.”

“Shh!” Lance tried to quiet him from his spot behind the potted plant in the corner. His knees were pulled to his chest in what looked like an uncomfortable crouch, and he ducked behind the safety of the leaves whenever someone stepped too close. “Get  _ down,  _ Keith! He’ll see you!”

“This is stupid,” Keith muttered to himself again, but slid down the wall anyway so he was seated on the grimy mall tiled-flooring.  _ “He can’t  _ see  _ us.” _

Chris, as predicted, could be seen working behind a food-stand - one of his two jobs, if Keith remembered correctly - hair a mess as he bustled from the stoves from the counter, occasionally taking a swig or two of water when there was a break in the customer-traffic.

Someone dropped to their knees next to Keith, crouching behind an unused table and peaking over the top like they were in some spy movie. Keith groaned at Oliver’s antics, resisting the urge to collapse onto the floor beneath him and just lie there forever. “Why is everyone so over the top? We’re - it’s just a  _ pretzel place,  _ guys.”

“Keep your voice down!” Lance and Sebastián whisper-yelled simultaneously, and Dominic groaned, much like Keith, as he squatted next to his brother. “Why can’t we go over there?” He pointed to where Shiro, Ms. Kogane, and Camila were all seated together a few tables away, chatting politely amongst themselves as they ate lunch. Anton was watching Venita one table over, and together they bent over a coloring page with crayons scattered around them.

“You’re recognizable, apparently,” Natalia spoke up from Dom’s other side, to which he groaned. “And Shiro isn't?”

“It’s normal for Shiro to be here,” Daniel sighed pointedly, seated across from them. His back was against a half-wall that shielded most of them from Chris’ gaze, unless he was actually trying to look for them. “You’re not, as much. It’s weirder to see a random fourteen-year-old kid wandering around vs. an almost-thirty-year-old.” He wrinkled his nose. “Wow. Shiro’s almost thirty.”

“Oh, how time flies,” Sebastián professed wistfully, a hand on his heart. “I remember when he was still in diapers. Give me a second, guys. This nostalgia’s making my heart hurt.”

“First of all, Shiro’s technically only four,” Keith started. “And second of all, you’ve literally known him for, like, a month, so chill.”

“Don’t tell me how to live my life.”

“Guys, shut  _ up!”  _ Lance waved his arms, whacking Keith in the jaw, who groaned, leaning back. “He’s looking over here!”

“Oh, congrats. Welcome to the freak show, featuring Plant Boy, Table Child, and The Help.” Keith shot back, and Oliver helped Lance by reaching over and covering his mouth while he rolled his eyes, sitting back with crossed arms.

“Daniela,” Lance whispered, snapping his fingers. “How do you get someone to notice you?”

Daniel raised his eyebrows, ignoring Oliver’s teasing  _ ‘senpaii~’  _ to his right and dropping his hands onto his ankles. “Why are you looking at me? Do you even  _ know  _ the last person I dated?” He paused, staring at Lance’s puzzled face before sighing dramatically, dropping his chin into his palm. “Brandon Woo. In the third grade.”

“Damn,” Dominic whistled, glancing to his left for only a second as Sebastian moved to sit next to Oliver. “That’s better than me; I was, like, in kindergarten when I had my first and only girlfriend. Sophia... Sophia Whatsherface.”

“Sophia Estrada.” Keith and Oliver corrected him simultaneously, and Oliver nudged Sebastián gently, leaning into his side. “Dom tried to kiss her and she hit him in the face with a rock.”

“Not true! You weren’t even there!” Dominic instantly countered, waving an accusing finger at his best friend while Sebastián threw his head back and laughed. Keith sighed, rolling his eyes. _ “I _ was. Shiro had just gotten his license, and he took me with him to pick you up from school. We had only just walked into the building when you came running out of the office with your stubby little legs, screaming and crying with a tiny little scratch on your face.”

Natalia and Seb were both howling with laughter, and Dominic hid his red face on Oliver’s shoulder, who tried to smooth back his hair as comfortingly as he could while covering his mouth with his other hand, shoulders shaking.

“You guys are no help,” Lance declared, though there wasn't any real agitation in his voice, and Sebastián nodded his head in agreement, tears streaming down his tan cheeks. Lance pushed himself to his feet, out of the safety of his precious corner, before he started making his way towards the vendor stand Chris was working at.

The McClain sibling’s laughter faded, and Keith watched as Lance stepped up to the counter, a dopey, lovey-dovey smile gracing his features. Keith didn't realize he’d sighed upon studying Lance’s retreating figure until Daniel, Sebastián, Natalia, Dom and Oliver all raised their gazes to greet his.  _ Fucking hell. _

“Go get ‘em, tiger,” Daniel prompted, probably already decoding the gears beginning to turn in his head. “You’re his wingman, after all.”

Keith didn't need to be told twice. He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the eyes he could feel on his back as he started to make his way over to where they were standing. Chris and Lance noticed him at the same time when he’d come to a stop next to his friend, addressing him directly.  _ “There _ you are! Jesus Christ, I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

Lance grinned, pretending to look sheepish as he already picked up on what Keith was doing. “Sorry, man. You should've been paying closer attention, I guess. I had to see Chris over here before we headed out.”

“Ah, where are you going?” Chris had taken the bait, and Keith’s hands clenched from where they were hidden in his pockets. “We only had to make a quick stop before we were headed back to Lance’s for karaoke night.”

Chris’ expression was guarded, but Lance interjected quickly. “Hey, Keith! That’s right, thanks for reminding me. That’s right, we needed one more player to do the hardest song! You know...” He paused for dramatic effect, letting the anticipation build, before dropping his voice into a smoother, more seductive tone of voice. “We could always use an extra player.”

All Keith could do was stand and watch as Lance gently took Chris’ hand in his, pressing it to his lips. “What do you say?”

“Are you sure there’s enough room in the car?” Keith’s voice was loud and sudden, startling even himself as he twined his fingers together. Lance turned to glare at him incredulously, eyes widening slightly as if to communicate  _ ‘dude, what the fuck?’.  _ “There’s plenty of room, Keith. Worst case scenario, we can go two to a seat.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude-”

“Yes! Completely sure!” Lance reassured, shooting a disarming smile while Keith choked out an “Actually, we have just enough players-”

“Keith,” Lance turned, agitation dancing in those icy blues as he stared back at him. His hand was still laced with Chris’, and Keith bit down onto his lip, spotting the divide between himself and his friends. Even so, he just couldn't find it in himself to  _ shut up.  _ “I’m just saying, if we get pulled over because you’re sucking his dick in the back seat-”

“What the  _ fuck?”  _ Lance asked, and, for the first time, the Korean boy saw anger beginning to creep into his features.  _ Stop. Stop it, shut the  _ fuck  _ up, Keith. _

“Keith,” someone brushed against his arm, snapping him back to reality. Oliver stood to his right, Natalia on his other side. “Just hold on a second, buddy. Quiet down.”

Had he been yelling? He wasn't sure. It definitely wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. 

Chris cleared his throat, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably. “My shift’s ending anyway, but are you positive I should-”

_ “Yes.”  _ Lance cut him off, but he kept his eyes set on Keith. “I’m sorry, Keith’s just being  _ selfish.” _

For some reason, the word struck a chord within Keith, and he stiffened, feeling almost naked under his friend’s hard gaze. Chris, for whatever reason, seemed to tense, too, his eyes locking with Keith’s as a raging fire burned just beneath the surface, begging to escape. 

“Yeah,” he finally spoke, casting his eyes to the ground as if in a last ditch effort to hide his emotions. “He tends to do that a lot.”

His words sent a jolt up Keith’s spine, but he was frozen as the pair moved past him, Lance bumping his shoulder with Keith’s unkindly as he passed. Keith couldn't move, he  _ couldn't,  _ and Chris’ words replayed in his head like a broken record.  _ He tends to do that a lot. He tends to do that a lot. He tends to... What... What does that even mean? _

“Keith,” Natalia urged gently, pulling on his sleeve like a scared child. “Are you okay?”

He blinked, then, snapping back to the present before his eyes flicked between the concerned gazes of Oliver and Natalia, vaguely aware of Dom’s presence at his side as he joined their group of three. “Hey, what the hell just happened?”

Speak,  _ speak,  _ goddammit. 

“Ah-” Keith began in a choked voice, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts while his limbs slowly unfroze. “I - yeah. I’m... It’s fine. I’m okay.” 

“Are you sure?” Daniel touched his shoulder gently, and Sebastián glanced back to where his brother was walking, leading Chris by the hand. “I’ll go talk to him.”

“Seb, it’s fine,” Keith reassured with what he hoped was a convincing smile. “Seriously, it’s all good. I was just caught off guard, is all.”

“Are you sure?” Oliver asked, fingering the sleeve of Sebastián’s hoodie uncertianly. Dominic also peered up at his brother with wide, worried eyes, peeking out from behind Sebastián while loosely grasping the cuff of his other sleeve. 

“Hey, yeah, don't sweat,” Keith nodded, jerking his chin back in the direction of where Lance and Chris had gone. “Stop worrying. You ready to get creamed at karaoke night?”

That seemed to convince them, and Daniel ruffled his hair affectionately while Natalia offered him a smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before Oliver linked his arm with Keith’s. Together, the group began to make their way out of the corridor they had been squatting in, out in the direction they’d seen their friends go.

The mall was big, and Keith found himself studying the different little stores and shops that they passed, occasionally wondering about the various items on display in the window. They could see Lance and Chris, hand in hand, just ahead of them. They were within earshot, so if Keith or one of the siblings shouted for them, they would be able to hear. 

The longer he sobered up, the more he realized that he was definitely in the wrong. Jealous or not, there was no way he should've said that. It was rude, and spiteful, and Keith felt like a piece of shit.

They had cleared most of the building, almost arriving at the parking lot, when Oliver froze next to Keith. It was almost surreal, the way his breath caught in his throat, body tensing up and going rigid as it almost seemed, even to Keith, that the only things that existed in the whole universe was Oliver, and the group of boys around his age that he was staring at, messing around by the main doors.

The group gradually paused their stride, all turning back to their friend as he stared, unmoving, not even to brush the blond hair out of his face that had fallen into his emerald green eyes. 

“Olive?” Dominic asked slowly, following his best friend’s gaze for a few seconds before sucking in a sharp, cold breath, not hesitating a second before latching his hand around Oliver’s wrist in a grip of steel. “Oliver, don’t-”

It was too late. Whatever he was about to say was lost in his throat, because suddenly the sophomore was sprinting, arms swinging at his sides while Dominic shouted, voice breaking while he stumbled after him. 

Keith had no idea what was happening, but he followed Sebastián’s lead as they ran after Oliver together, shouting at him to stop like Dom had. The commotion caught Lance and Chris’ attention, and, in the chaos, Keith caught Lance’s eye in a sharp, pleading gaze, before he tore it away and continued darting forward.

The group of boys Oliver was making a beeline for had only just realized what was happening, and the one in front, a decently well-put together kid with a bandaid on his chin, barely had time to look up before Oliver was seizing his collar, jerking him back into the wall before swinging his fist with murder in his eyes.

“Oliver, holy shit - what are you  _ doing!?”  _ Keith screamed, watching Sebastián reach him first, wrapping his arms around his waist in an attempt to separate them. Oliver looked bloodthirsty, and Keith’s hands curled into fists, realizing he was keenly aware of his rapid breathing, the blood flowing through his ears as he watched this kid he’d practically grown up with throw  _ punch  _ after  _ punch  _ after  _ punch. _

Keith, needless to say, was afraid.

The mall security couldn't have gotten there fast enough, helping both Sebastián and Dominic pry Oliver off of this boy Keith had never seen before, and suddenly Lance was next to him, a hand on his shoulder while his eyes quickly scanned over Keith’s face. “Are you okay?”

“Am I-” Keith’s eyes started to wander over to the teenager, who was groaning on the floor, blood smeared across his pale skin as he cried out over and over, before Lance shook him again and forced his eyes to snap to his face. “Not him. Don't look at him. Are you okay, Keith?”

...Was he?

“Yeah, ah,” Keith nodded, swallowing thickly because he was keenly aware of Lance’s hand, still gripping his shoulder in a strong hold. “I’m... I’m okay. Yeah. Thanks.”

Before he could let go, Keith reached up and seized Lance’s arm, covering it quickly while casting his eyes to the ground, biting his lip. “I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Lance smiled gently, and that was that. 

They both turned to stare at the scene in front of them, Chris covering his mouth with his hands while Oliver kicked at the air, restrained by a cop, dry sobbing desperately while both Dominic and Sebastián stood in front of him in an attempt to calm him down.

“Oliver, what - what the  _ hell  _ was that?” Keith switched gears, watching with worried eyes as he finally slumped against the mall security person, who slightly released her grip on the kid’s arms upon seeing he’d stopped struggling so much. After taking notice that he wasn't, by far, in the right headspace to talk any time soon, Keith turned to his younger brother, who seemed to know exactly what was happening. 

He didn’t miss the tears freely streaming down the poor kid’s face, or the way Seb looked from Oliver to Dominic, who were both almost sobbing, as if he didn’t know what to do or who to comfort.

“He - Oli-” Dom’s breathing was choppy as he clutched the front of his shirt as if it could hold him steady, and Keith ran a comforting hand up and down his back as the cop let go of Oliver to make sure the kid was okay. The blond was then almost instantly whisked into Sebastián’s arms, the Latino guiding his head to the crook of his neck while Oliver fisted the back of his hoodie, trying his best to calm himself down.

Keith didn't know what to do, and Daniel, who had been observing the situation quietly, dropped a hand onto his shoulder before squeezing comfortingly. Natalia also peeked around her brother, wiping her eyes while she analyzed the situation in confusion.

“Hey, buddy, alright,” Lance dropped down in front of Dominic, trying his best to meet the kid’s eyes. “Do you think you can tell us why he went off like that?”

The fourteen-year-old’s hands were trembling, and Lance took them in his own to try to calm him down as best as he could. Finally, after the silence stretched for a few long seconds, Dominic drew in another long breath. “I - I used to... to get bullied a - a lot, back... back in freshman year. I-”

His voice broke, and Lance was instantly there, enveloping the kid he’d come to think of as a brother into a strong, warm hug. Dominic was trembling all over, and Keith cast his gaze to Oliver, who had managed to calm down slightly. He peeked out from under Seb’s embrace, though the speckles of fresh blood on his cheeks tainted the picture. “That piece of shit was one of the main reasons-”

Keith looked back to the boy, who was sitting up and being treated with a gauze while his friends stood tentatively around him, as if waiting for the right moment to bolt. The Korean boy then glanced to Oliver, who was uncharacteristically fuming, despite Sebastián’s hug. “That piece of  _ shit!” _

“What did he do!?” Natalia startled, clinging to Daniel’s arm as he reached around her in a side-hug.

Oliver finally relaxed, dropping his head onto Sebastián’s shoulder while another stream of fresh tears escaped from his eyes, though his fists were still trembling with rage. “He was one of the main reasons Dominic tried to kill himself, all those months ago.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i hate myself

**Ch. Fourteen**

“At the mall today,” Lance spoke in a soft voice, and Keith lifted his head from where it had been resting on his folded knees to meet his eyes. “When we fought. Before the... Before the thing with Oliver.”

Keith nodded to show he was listening, casting a glance to the couch adjacent to theirs where Sebastián was comfortably draped across it, Dominic already beginning to doze off, cuddled securely into his side, while Oliver lay his chest, arms looped around his neck. Though Dom and Oliver both were half-asleep, Sebastián was intently focused on the TV screen at the front of the room, blasting pop music from 2015 as Natalia and Anton screamed into their microphones, equally as off-pitch and off-beat as the other.

The rest of their daring adventure to the mall had been cut short when the security guard had, none too kindly, asked them to leave. Sebastián had interrogated both Oliver and Dom in the car, but it ended with Dominic bursting into sobs again and Sebastián tugging him into his lap so he could try to manage his breathing a bit easier. Oliver had also started quietly sniffling, but had tried his best not to show it by gazing out of the window, facing away from Sebastián. He’d almost instantly caught on, however, and that’s how Oliver found himself comfortably tucked into Seb’s side the entire rest of the ride home.

“Why did you seem so jealous?” Lance asked at last, breaking Keith’s concentration and forcing him to meet his inquisitive gaze. Chris had stepped out of the room to grab a water, and after he hadn't been back for ten minutes, they’d both assumed he was captured by Camila and couldn't return because he was just too polite to excuse himself. 

Keith didn't know how to phrase a response to Lance’s question, exactly. Should he lie? God knows he couldn’t tell Lance about his big, fat, gay-ass crush on him while they sat there, practically nose to nose. At last, he decided to tell the truth. Or, at the very least, part of it.

He turned so he was facing Lance, shoulder on the backrest with his legs pulled together in criss-cross-applesauce. Lance mimicked his position, and there was a beat of silence before Keith drew in a long, calm breath. “Chris and I went out, for like, three years. We just broke up a few months ago.”

Lance didn't flinch, expression remaining neutral, though his eyebrows raised almost imperceptibly. “Wait, what?”

Keith nodded, keenly aware of the way Lance shifted so they were eye to eye. “Yeah. I just... I don't know. I was overwhelmed, and whenever I’m panicking, I say things I don't mean and it’s just... It’s just a mess.”

“Do you still like him?” Lance asked, pulling his knees to his chest. “Wait, why did you guys break up in the first place?”

There was the question Keith had been waiting for. He tried to smile, though he knew Lance could see right through it. “Yeah, that’s the thing. I don't actually know. I thought everything was going fine, but then it just... It just ended, I guess.”

Lance searched his eyes for a few seconds, but Keith cut him off when he opened his mouth. “I don't want pity. That's the last thing I want, believe me. I’m over him, I promise. Go for it, man.” He reached forward to flick him in the forehead. “You officially have my blessing.”

Lance was quiet, but Keith couldn't read the emotion on his face. He spent a few moments studying the other boy, but they both jumped in their seats when Natalia let out a particularly screeching note, prompting Anton to burst into giggles and miss his lines.

The song came to an end, and Sebastián clapped quietly, pausing when Dominic stirred. Keith and Lance both joined him, exchanging quick smiles as Natalia bowed, Anton copying his big sister with the largest, goofiest smile lighting his face. The ten-year-old bounced over to where Keith and Lance were sitting, holding out his microphone to the former impatiently. “Keith! Keith, your turn!”

“Oh, thanks, but I don't-”

“Come on, Flower,” Lance had already grabbed his hand, pulling him unceremoniously to his feet while quickly snatching Natalia’s microphone from her open palm. Keith groaned as they stopped in front of the old, basement TV, watching Lance flick through the songs with a childlike gleam in his eyes. “I feel like this is straight out of High School Musical. Please,  _ please,  _ don't turn this into High School Musical.”

Lance ignored him, wordlessly selecting a song from his choices and pressing play. Keith paused to listen as a melody he didn't recognize filled the room, but Lance didn't miss a beat, already beginning to sing along. “Time’s been ticking, hearts are running, think that Cupid’s up to something - you ask me how I feel, I say nothing.”

He met Keith’s gaze, another adorable smile gracing his lips before he ran his hand through his hair, affectively messing it up enough to give it the perfect, effortless style. “But lately color seems so bright; and the stars light up the night; my feet, they feel so light; I’m ignoring all the signs-”

He continued to sing, but his words were lost as Keith stood there like an idiot, watching him move. Holy  _ shit,  _ could he move. It was a graceful, effortless style, hand moving from the air above his head to his short brown locks, entire body almost appearing to pulse to the beat as he focused on the screen, not once locking eyes with Keith.

“Go, Keith!” Sebastián encouraged from somewhere behind him, and Natalia’s sharp whistle was all it took to get him into it more, looking back to the lyrics dancing across the screen so he could focus, picking up the rhythm from what Lance had already sang.

“But I crave us hugging; yeah, I stay stubborn; cause I can’t admit that you got all the strings and know just how to tug ‘em...” Another beat struck, and Keith inhaled, preparing for the truckload of voice cracking he knew was to come with the long, relatively high note. “I think I’m in  _ love~  _ again!”

The whole situation was cliché, and Keith knew it, he  _ knew  _ it was, but he didn't want to stop. He didn't know  _ why,  _ but then Lance laughed as he tripped over a few lyrics, and he realized he’d found his reason. 

“Didn't think that it could be true!” They chorused in a series of off-key, horribly timed notes, brushing shoulders while Anton cheered helpfully. “Let alone that it would be you! I think I’m in  _ love~  _ again!”

“My heart’s pacing, I’m confused - I’m dazing,” Lance grinned, turning back to Keith and taking his hand. Keith didn't know what was happening until he realized he was being spun, and he let out a low laugh as Lance continued. “I saw something I’ve never seen in you, it’s got me shaking. I must be hallucinating... I hear it happens.”

Lance grinned again, tugging him close so they were chest to chest, and Keith felt himself melt. “I’m _ just _ saying. Babe, I’m just saying.”

“Someone get me some paper, someone get me some crayons,” Keith picked up the next verse easily. “I’m feeling like a child, I need something to play on.” He met Lance’s eyes steadily as they locked hands, breaths tickling the other’s neck. Out of nowhere, he was sucked back in time to the same dark basement, weeks ago, Lance hovering in front of him with his fingers threading through Keith’s hair. “I’m trying hard to trust you when you say ‘give me a hand’. Baby, I’m falling - I hope you  _ catch me when I land!” _

They separated like scolded children, Lance on one side of the room and Keith on the other, Keith gripping the front of his shirt as if to keep his heart from exploding out of his chest, Sebastián whistling behind them. “I think I’m in  _ love~  _ again!”

Keith noticed Christopher to his right, leaning against the doorway with an unreadable expression dancing in his features. The boy faltered, then, slowly glancing up to meet his eyes, and the frigid stare he was sent almost made him lose his footing.

“Didn’t think that it could be true!” Lance hadn't noticed, though he glanced back at Keith when he realized the boy’d stopped singing. “Let alone that it would be-” 

Chris and Lance locked gazes, then, and he, too, paused his rhythm. Sebastián watched keenly from his couch, and Daniel also stiffened, slowly unfolding his legs from where they were curled up to his chest. 

“Sorry,” Chris finally spoke, easing his way into the room with a smile. “I didn't want to interrupt anything, is all.”

He glanced at Keith as Lance grinned back, setting his microphone down onto the TV stand and making his way over to the older boy, linking their hands easily with a charming smile, rubbing the back of his neck. “No big. Karaoke’s getting kinda boring, anyway. We could probably go outside and make some s’mores?”

“Ah, yeah,” Chris leaned down to peck his temple, tightening his grip on Lance’s hand before turning and pulling him towards the stairs. Keith didn't miss the awestruck look on Lance’s face, or the growing blush, or the way he followed right behind his crush like a puppy strived of attention.

Keith was aware of Daniel and Sebastián’s eyes on his back, but he only stepped forward, quietly clicking off the TV and placing his microphone next to Lance’s. Just before the screen dimmed to black, however, the last of the lyrics flashed across the screen, burning into his eyelids even though he’d closed them.

_ I think I’m in love... _

+++

“I just don't want you to get hurt, Keith,” Shiro smiled gently, a comforting hand on Keith’s arm while his younger brother buried his face into his hands, groaning. “I can't  _ help  _ it, though! He’s just... He’s so-” frustration bubbled in Keith’s chest with the realization he couldn't quite conjure up the words to describe, precisely, what Lance was.

Keith allowed his eyes to flutter closed as he pictured his features, his touch, pictured  _ Lance,  _ pictured that familiar scent of lavender and oakwood and the sea. The  _ sea,  _ God, he was like the sea. He had an aura of comfort around him, and stability, but also the promises of danger and chaos and sharp, bleeding panic if you happened to slip on the wrong rock. 

“He’s so  _ Lance.”  _ He finally said.

“I know, kiddo. I know,” Shiro rubbed his back comfortingly, offering a smile. “You just gotta be careful, okay?”

“It’s hopeless, either way,” Keith collapsed back into his chair, letting out a long, drained sigh. “Hate to break it to you, but he’s made it pretty clear he doesn’t like me. No matter how ‘careful’ I am, I’m still never gonna have a chance, you know?”

Shiro was quiet, and Keith was tempted to ask him what he was thinking about before the eldest Kogane sibling spoke again with an air of wisdom to his voice. “If you think so little of yourself, you’ll never get anywhere with your life.” He turned those gray-violet eyes onto his brother. “We accept the love we think we deserve, and I’m not sure if you really understand just how amazing you are.”

His words caught Keith off guard, but he persisted, never daring to break eye contact. “Don’t miss out on something amazing, just because the journey to get there seems difficult. You are  _ so great,  _ and so many people are, but those same people go through their whole lives without anybody reminding them that they are  _ good.” _

“But great is better than-”

“Keith! Hey, there you are,” Lance poked his head into the doorway, impeccable timing, as per usual. “You disappeared after, like, five minutes of roasting marshmallows. I was worried.”

Shiro met Keith’s gaze, and Keith almost expected him to start spouting off some more wisdom he’d picked up on over the years, but instead he inhaled too hard and choked on his breath when Shiro mouthed something that looked far too similar to  _ “‘he doesn’t like me’, my ass.” _

Keith shoved him back with an annoyed huff as he laughed behind his palm, and Lance’s eyes flicked from Keith to his brother. “Oh, shit, sorry, am I interrupting-”

“No, no, you’re good.” Keith pushed himself to his feet, making his way towards where his friend stood quietly. “Can we stop in the kitchen and get water, first? I don't feel like going outside with all the mosquitos.”

Lance hummed, shutting the door to the dining room gently as they retreated down the hall. The kitchen was cold, but that was kind of to be expected in a house with no heating at almost eleven at night, the patio door repetitively opening and closing due to everyone walking back and forth through it.

The Cuban boy swung open the fridge and grabbed two water bottles, handing one to Keith before leaning back against the island in the center of the room. “Tell me a secret.”

“I’m sorry?” Keith responded instantly, uncapping his water and taking a swig as if it were some type of alcohol. Lance took a sip of his own drink, raising an eyebrow. “You heard me. Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

_ I like you.  _

“I’m into water polo,” Keith blurted, never one for thinking on his feet. Lance stilled, watching him with a smile quirking at his lips, before finally laughing out loud, bending forward slightly as he grinned. “Holy shit,  _ water polo?” _

Keith didn't even know what water polo was, but he nodded anyway, determined to keep up with his lie. “Yeah. Is there an issue with that?”

“Holy shit, Keith, I’m-” Lance wheezed, hand over his mouth. “Keith, that’s so  _ gay.” _

“Who’s she?” Keith raised his drink to his lips and took a slow sip. “Never heard of her. Your turn.”

Lance pursed his lips to hide his grin, before shaking his head with an amused sigh. “Jesus, um...” 

Keith watched him for a moment, internally smacking himself for being overcome with the urge to grab Lance’s adorable face in his hands and kiss it as a reward for being so cute.

“My favorite color’s blue,” Lance supplied with a raised eyebrow, and Keith snorted, shaking his head. “That’s hardly a secret. And, even if it was, I already knew that, so it doesn't count.”

“You already knew that...?” Lance set his water bottle down next to him as Keith raised himself gently onto the counter, nodding as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Well, yeah, obviously. You always have something blue on; even your pajamas are blue. And have you seen your room?” Keith hooked his ankles together, shoulders relaxing. “It’s like an ocean in there.”

When he looked up, Lance was already staring at him with a mixture of surprise and... something else that he couldn't place. His lips were curled into the first traces of a smile, however, so Keith assumed it couldn't have been bad. Lance finally nodded, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing to his lap. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is. You’re more observant than I pegged you for, Flower.”

“Why do you still call me that?” Keith wondered aloud, but Lance shook his head to cut him off, a teasing smile on his lips. “Nope, I just went. It’s your turn, now.”

“But you technically didn't even-” Keith stopped himself, rolling his eyes before letting out an amused, airy laugh. “Yeah, okay. I’m not gonna fight you on this. I’ll be nice and take my turn.”

_ I like you so much it hurts to breathe, and when you look at me I want to die. _

“We used to have five cats, when I was younger.” He told him, smiling softly at the memory. “Man, was that a mistake. They were so fun to play with, though, and whenever I had a bad day at school or something, they would always just... somehow  _ know,  _ and be there for me, you know?”

“I,” Lance started, nodding slightly before grimacing as if he already regretted what he was about to say. “I wanted to be an astronaut when I was little.”

If he’d expected Keith to laugh, he was proven wrong as his friend stayed still, tilting his head to the right. “Why’d you stop?”

Lance stared at him for a long moment, before shaking his head and glancing to the wall in front of them. “I never... I don't think I ever really did. But my family, especially my tías and tíos, seemed to think it was just a kid thing, I guess. Even though I never really grew out of it, they always said that being an astronaut was ridiculous, and I’ll realize that one day and become a nice businessman who makes lots of money and can pay for their retirement homes.”

Keith slowly pushed himself off of the counter, instead leaning back onto it while tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. “Why’d you listen to them?”

“Because they’re my family,” Lance’s eyes were tired, but he still smiled at the thought of being apart of something like that. “You do for family, you know? If they really... If they don't like what I do, then what kind of a man am I?”

“You don't need your family’s approval to follow your dreams, you know.” Keith’s voice was quiet, but Lance didn't meet his eyes. “If they don't approve, they'll learn to. You should never,  _ ever  _ let other people tell you what to do with your life,  _ especially  _ your family. Because if they can't see how much something means to you; how much something is  _ a part  _ of you, whether you like it or not, they are  _ not,  _ and will  _ never be,  _ as good as you believe them to be.” He paused. “And there is nothing in this world better than being good.”

“Sure there is,” Lance whispered. “You can be great.”

Keith stepped forward, trying to catch Lance’s eye. When he still refused to glance up, Keith hooked his forefinger under the other boy’s chin, raising it stubbornly. “There is nothing in this world better than  _ being good.”  _ He repeated quietly.

“Your turn,” Lance chose not to respond, and Keith swallowed thickly after realizing how close in proximity they’d gotten. Lance held his gaze with those electrifying blue eyes that seemed to pierce into Keith’s very soul. “Tell me a secret, Flower.”

_ I like you so much I could die. I could die, and I would be completely fine with that because Jesus, Lance, have you  _ seen  _ your smile? _

There was a long pause as they stood there, Lance’s back against the island while Keith peered up at him from under his thick lashes, pursing his lips as he tried to come up with a coherent thought other than  _ ‘wow, when did Lance get so close...?’ _

Keith, at this point, had no idea what to say, because every rational thought had flew from his brain the moment he’d stepped into Lance’s space. And what do you do without rational thoughts? Well, you make irrational decisions, of course. And Keith, being the king of irrational decisions, had, frankly, no idea what he was doing. So... He said the first thing that had come to mind.

“You’re going out with Chris, right?”

Lance blinked, and suddenly their proximity was gone, the Cuban leaning back enough to easily pull himself up on the island, crossing his legs with a raised eyebrow. “Not as far as I know.”

“Are you in love with him?” 

Fucking hell, Keith,  _ shut up. _

“I... I don't exactly...” Lance trailed off, studying Keith’s face quickly. “Why does it matter?”

Keith’s eyes were glued to the ground, and, for whatever reason, he couldn't find it in himself to move, to step out of the situation as quickly and painlessly as possible. Lance shifted, and Keith knew he was trying to meet his eyes. “Keith,” he asked again, this time a note of urgency highlighting his voice. “Why does it matter?”

There was a long, suffocating pause.

Keith slowly raised his eyes, expecting Lance to be confused, or maybe even happy, in the perfect scenario, just not... Just anything but that same unreadable emotion Keith  _ knew  _ was dancing in his eyes. Finally, Lance broke the silence with a shaky breath, his voice surprisingly even. “Tell me you’re joking.”

Keith could only stare with wide eyes as Lance began to shake his head, slowly dropping off of the counter to stand, before backing away from him so quickly he’d slammed his hip into the corner of the island. Lance barely had time to wince, instead staring down at Keith as if he couldn't believe what he’d just realized. _“Keith,”_ he stressed, and, if he hadn't known any better, he would say Lance almost seemed _scared._ _“Tell me_ you’re joking.”

“I’m not!” Keith cried, eyebrows furrowing outwardly. “I like you, you fucking asshole!”

As much as he hated to admit it, Keith could feel his eyes start to sting, overwhelmed by everything that had happened over the past few weeks. Lance was still shaking his head, shoulders tense and hands curling into fists as if ready to bolt at any second. “Keith,  _ stop.” _

“Stop what?” Keith wanted to scream, but instead his words only came out choked, as if he were suffocating. “Lance, what-”

Lance looked up again, and Keith faltered, because, in that moment, he saw real fear in his eyes. “I... You shouldn't. Why...” He drew in another long breath. “I can't do this.”

“Lance!” Keith tried to snatch his wrist, but Lance jerked away again, looking back with desperation clawing at his features. The boy retracted his hand quickly, holding it against his chest as if protecting it from a scorching fire. Lance darted out of the room without so much as a glance back in Keith’s direction, leaving him stranded; completely alone in the cold, dark room.

But, of course, that’s okay. He was used to it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so so so so so sorry for not updating sooner!! I got caught up in the rush of school and gahhhhh

**Ch. Fifteen**

“Is it possible to like two people at the same time?” Dominic asked, dropping onto the old, worn couch next to Keith. 

The boy had escaped to the basement, and had been sitting there, alone with his feelings for what felt like hours. When Dom had appeared at the top of the stairs, he’d only studied his older brother for a few seconds before joining him on the couch and speaking his mind.

Keith sent a wary glance in his direction, only to observe his brother, completely lost to his thoughts. “Seb and Oliver?” He asked, no other words needed because Dom had nodded without hesitation. 

“Because, like,” Dom sighed, leaning over to rest his head on Keith’s shoulder. “I didn't think it was possible, like I thought you would always like one person more than the other, right? But... I don't. I like them both equally because they’re so different, you know? If you asked me right now, I could probably list ten different reasons for liking each of them.”

Keith nodded slowly as Dom spoke into his shoulder, before sighing and leaning back. “I feel like... I feel like you should tell them.” His voice broke, and he glanced away, drawing his knees to his chest. “What could go wrong?”

Dom was quiet, but neither of them moved. Keith could feel Dom’s eyes on him, studying his profile. “Are you okay, Keith?”

_ Yeah, of course I’m okay. Have you met me? I’m always okay, kiddo.  _

“I’m-” he tried to reassure, but the words caught in his throat. Dom hummed softly, turning so he could wind his arms around his brother’s waist, resting his head in the crook of Keith’s neck. “It’ll be okay, Keith,” he whispered. “Don’t beat yourself up over everything.”

Keith pursed his lips, squeezing his eyes shut and hiding his face in Dominic’s hair, inhaling deeply. “It hurts,” he whispered.

“I know,” Dom slipped his arm into Keith’s so they were linked, adjusting his position. “Believe me. I know.”

Keith was tempted to see if Camila had any alcohol so he could steal some, hide away for a while so he could numb himself. He couldn't do that with Dominic next to him, though. He was far too rattled, and any attempt at a lie would be futile.

“Keith?” A familiar voice called down the basement stairs, and for a second he thought it was Lance, coming to see him. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, however, when Sebastián poked his head into view, glancing between Dom and his older brother. “Hey, guys, have you seen Lance anywhere?”

Instantly, a spike of anxiety flashed through his bones, and Keith sat forward, locking eyes with Seb. “What?”

Dom was on his feet in an instant, making his way towards the stairs where Sebastián stood tentatively, bouncing on his heels in anticipation. 

“When’s the last time you saw him?” Keith asked, twisting his shirt together and allowing Dom to step in front of him. When he’d reached Sebastián, the two had instantly grabbed onto each other, whether it be a section of Seb’s old sweatshirt or the small of Dom’s back, they found a place to connect somehow. 

It struck a chord of jealousy in Keith, but he didn't comment as Sebastián turned back to face him, a grim expression darkening his features. “Probably like an hour ago? He and Chris both disappeared out of nowhere, and I don't know where they could have possibly gone at one in the morning on a Monday.”

Keith’s stomach twisted uncomfortably, but he ignored it as the group exited the basement in a rush. Natalia and Daniel were sitting at the kitchen table, tapping at their phones and occasionally pressing them to their ears, before frowning and dropping them back onto the hard wood.

“Where the hell could they have gone?” Oliver walked out of the living room to stand at Dom’s side, rubbing his chin where a dark bruise was starting to form from just earlier that day. “It’s pitch black out!”

“And cold,” Daniel cast his eyes to the coatrack, where not an article of clothing was missing. 

“This is all my fault,” Keith’s voice sounded numb, even to him, but he couldn't find it in himself to tear his eyes from his faded red converse. 

“No, it’s not,” Shiro sighed from his seat near the front door. “You did nothing wrong, Keith.”

“Yes, I did,” the poor boy urged, eyes brimming with tears from the effects of his lack of sleep finally weighing down on him. “I was the one that told him I like him.  _ I  _ was the one that... That made him leave in the first place.”

Sebastián stepped into his line of sight, gripping Keith’s shoulders and shaking him roughly. The blue streaks in his hair, once really prominent, were now a faded teal, beginning to blend into the natural color. “Snap the fuck out of it, Keith. I don't know where this fucking pity party came from, but you need to  _ stop it,  _ because we have to  _ find Lance,  _ and the instant we do I give Shiro permission to bitch-slap him into next year, alright?”

His words broke whatever trance Keith had been lost in, and he blinked, nodding quickly as feeling began to return to his extremities. “Yeah, okay. Okay, I’m alright.” And, for the first time, he kind of began to believe himself.

Before anyone even had the time for thinking about their next plan of action, the front door swung open with a force that shook the picture frames on the wall next to it. Hushed laughter followed, and soon a lanky figure stumbled into the room, almost tripping over the side table next to the door. Lance covered his mouth with his hand as if it was the funniest thing ever, hiccuping when Chris followed, slightly more sober but still stumbling after Keith’s friend.

_ “¡Idiota! ¿Estás borracho? ¡Por el amor de Dios, hijo mío, te voy a estrangular!”  _ Lance’s mom rushed out of the kitchen with a roll of paper towels, proceeding to beat her son while he laughed and tried to dodge out of the way. “Can you talk slower?” He slurred. “I don't speak... Japanese.”

_ “¡Me has hecho tan preocupada! ¿Cómo reaccionaría tu padre? ¡No puedo creer que te comportes tan estúpidamente y actúes tan precipitadamente!”  _ She cried, and though Keith was tempted to ask for a translation, he was sure he understood the gist of her words and intentions.

_ “Mamá,”  _ Lance whined, but Camila wasn’t done. She grabbed him by the ear, swearing and waving her hands around while she continued to scold him in Spanish, dragging him to the couch by the door where Shiro had jumped up to make room.

“What were you  _ thinking,  _ you idiot!?” Sebastián joined his mom, standing with crossed arms as Natalia left to fetch water. Though Seb was younger than Lance by almost a year, he definitely acted more mature, standing in front of him like an impatient parent rather than his sibling.

Daniel stood silently next to Keith, and the boy felt him let out a small sigh of relief after a quick check for injuries revealed nothing major. Oliver turned to Chris, eyes narrowed. “Where the hell were you guys?”

“Hey, don't look at me like I’m the bad guy! I was the one who kept him  _ out  _ of more trouble. I was the one who kept him from getting run over, and to convince him to come home in the first place!” Chris defended, crossing his arms anxiously. Dom stepped in front of Keith, almost protectively. “What were you doing for the entire  _ hour  _ you were gone, then? Surely, it didn't take that long to drag him back.”

A dark expression passed over Chris’ face, and Keith realized that he, too, had probably had a few drinks from wherever Lance had managed to find alcohol. “He... I don't know! He wanted to... fool around, for a little bit, I guess. We didn't do anything more than kissing and stuff, though!”

Keith had gone rigid, and Natalia rushed in with a cup of ice water. Instead of offering it to Lance to drink like Keith had thought she would have, the fourteen-year-old sloshed the cup on him, making sure to drench his face and chest.

Camila didn't comment about the wet couch, instead bouncing her knee anxiously. Ms. Kogane, who had been silent this entire time, reached out to rub her back with a comforting, maternal touch Keith was sure she’d mastered after so many years of living with three boys.

Lance sobered up almost immediately, coughing and choking as the sheer frigidness of the ice seemed to almost burn his skin. “Dude, what the hell?”

“Don't ‘what the hell’ me, you idiot!” Natalia looked to be almost on the verge of tears, and that caused Lance to blink, shrinking back into his seat even further. “Natalia, I’m-”

“Why did you think, in any universe, that it was okay to let not just a  _ minor,  _ but two underage kids have a couple drinks?” Keith went straight for the kill, glaring hard at Chris. “You do realize the legal age is twenty-one, right? What the  _ fuck  _ were you doing, you asshat!?”

“You were the one that made him leave in the first place!” Chris shot back, fists clenching instinctively. Daniel moved behind Keith, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Keith, maybe we should hear him out. I’m sure he has his-”

“What, you’re on  _ his  _ side now?” Keith whirled on his friend, and Daniel backed up a step, hands out in a calming gesture. “Keith, listen, I’m not-”

“Okay, everybody just  _ calm-”  _ Sebastián started, stepping into the fray, before Lance was standing, stepping up to Keith. “Chris did nothing wrong, okay? Just because you’re jealous of him doesn't mean you can go and-”

“Why the hell would I be jealous?” Keith snapped in response, before shoving Lance back so he stumbled. “I’ll never be jealous of anything Chris has to do with! He means nothing to me!” 

Lance reared back, shoving Keith even harder than he had, causing Dominic and Oliver to shout and scramble to catch him. “Stop lying! You’re probably still in love with him, and that’s why you’re acting so-”

“Do you even  _ remember  _ what’s happened in the last few hours?” Keith all but screamed. “If you’re acting like this to be petty, then good-fucking-job, Lance! I’m obviously  _ so  _ in love with Ch-”

“Even if he was, I wouldn't want anything to do with him!” Chris walked over Keith’s words, easily cutting him off. “After all he’s done!”

“After all  _ I’ve  _ done?” Keith cried, waving off Shiro, who’d begun to step towards him. “After all-”

“Keith, please,” Daniel tried, touching his wrist as if in an attempt to wake him up from a nightmare. “Just take a second to breathe-”

“Don’t touch me,” Keith brushed him off, stepping out of arm’s length. “Just because you’re trans doesn't mean you get special treat-”

His words died in his throat almost instantly, his brain finally catching up to his mouth as he realized what, exactly, he had been about to say. The entire room had silenced, as if a shock wave pulsed through their very bones and drained the energy into the ground below their feet.

Daniel could only stare, wide eyed, lips parted in shock as Keith could only mirror him. And then he was shoving past him, knocking Keith’s shoulder back so hard the boy had almost fallen. Neither Oliver nor Dom moved to catch him this time.

Down the hall, a door slammed, the force of it rattling the house around them. Keith was left, staring after where Daniel had ran in some sort of frozen state.

“Selfish,” Christopher finally broke the silence with a hoarse whisper.

Both Lance and Keith turned to him, and Keith felt his mouth drop open, yet no sound forced its way out. He felt like a total piece of shit. No, he  _ was  _ a total piece of shit. And he would gratefully claim that title until the day he died.

“You’re one to talk,” was all Keith could say before he had to stop himself, knowing full well if he spoke even one more syllable he would surely burst into tears.

Chris was quiet for a moment, golden eyes boring into Keith’s scared, violet-gray ones. Finally, he drew in a long, slow breath, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall. “You really have no idea why we broke up, do you?”

Keith studied his features, fingers curling into the sleeves of his shirt before he numbly shook his head, already fearing Chris’ next words because, really, buried in the depths of his mind, he knew  _ exactly  _ why they’d broken up. He had just never even considered admitting it to himself.

“It’s all one big act.” Chris said at last, catching the attention of Lance, Sebastián, Oliver, and Natalia. Keith’s hands had already started to tremble, but Chris brushed it off, unfazed. “He doesn't  _ care.  _ You guys realize that, right?” He glanced around the room, meeting everyone’s eyes but Keith’s. “You might think he does, because he’s one helluvan actor, but it’s all  _ pretend.” _

“Chris,” Shiro started, eyes pleading as he pushed himself off of the wall. “Please don’t start with this again-”

“Let him finish, Shiro.” Sebastián mumbled, and Keith felt as if someone stabbed him through the chest and twisted. 

Chris let out a humorless laugh, inching his way into the room as Keith sent a fleeting glance to his mother. She was silent.

“Look, all my life, I didn't have anyone.” Chris’ gaze was hard. “I’m an orphan. I lost my parents when I was a kid, you know? For my entire childhood, I had  _ nobody.  _ Nobody to talk to about my day at school, nobody to laugh with and have dozens of inside jokes at just the blink of an eye. I had...  _ nothing.” _

Keith pursed his lips.

“And then I met Keith and his siblings and his mom, and they took me under their wing without a second thought. Everything was great, because I finally had... I finally had a family. I finally had the very thing I’d wanted my whole life, and I was so,  _ so happy.”  _ He drew another breath, his gaze empty as it passed over Keith. “And then Dom started getting bullied. Real bad. The things he’d told us that had happened at school made me want to drive my fist into the wall. A few months later, all it took was one more beat-up behind the school before he tried to overdose on pills when spring break ended.”

Keith felt both Sebastián and Oliver tense on either side of him, and Dom’s fingers twitched before he glanced away, chewing on his bottom lip.

“Keith was messed up after that. He was... I was afraid he would...” They locked eyes, then, and Keith’s brows drew together silently. Chris kept his gaze level. “And then, I started noticing how different he was. When he didn't care anymore, he started to let things slip. I began to put the pieces together pretty quick-”

“Chris,” Keith’s voice broke; the bomb had been placed. “Not here.”

“And I realized,” he continued as if his ex had never spoken. “That the entire relationship, every day spent laughing together and sneaking kisses under thin sheets and going on picnics and stupid,  _ stupid  _ dates almost every week...” A match lit the fuse, and it slowly began to eat at the wick, gaining speed and momentum until...

“Had all been _ faked _ from the very start.” It exploded.

Keith’s breath was forced from his lungs, and he stumbled back a few steps, squeezing his eyes shut to keep the tears at bay.

Chris’ voice had raised in volume, and his arms were half-way raised into the air with the force of his words. “I learned that Keith didn't  _ care,  _ not really. I figured out that under those hundreds of thousands of masks he puts on each day, he said yes in the first place because he felt  _ bad  _ for me.” He did laugh, then, though his expression flashed with a heartbroken, silent scream, if only for less than a second. 

Keith swallowed, trying to keep his breathing in check because he was going to cry and he  _ refused  _ to cry; he refused to show any sign of weakness, especially in front of Chris. 

“Can  _ anybody  _ in this room look me in the eye and tell me it isn't true!?” Chris was shouting now, glancing back to where Daniel had disappeared around the corner. “After what you just saw, after  _ everything  _ he’s done? Can anyone really vouch for him and say that this, that everything he’s told you, is  _ genuine?” _

“It  _ is,”  _ Keith’s voice was weak, but he was telling the truth. And, yeah, Chris was right to think he’d only started to date him out of pity, because he  _ had.  _ But, honestly? Along the way, he’d fallen, and he’d fallen  _ hard. _

“I  _ promise,  _ I’m...” that was it, the first of the tears had begun to fall. “I’m telling the truth.  _ Please,  _ you have to believe me.”

The McClain siblings studied his face, and he searched their eyes for any sliver of hope, but was only met with silent, doubting eyes. They didn't believe him.  _ They didn't believe him. _

_ “The Union learned two important things that day,”  _ Ms. Harman’s words echoed in his brain from her lesson, all those weeks ago.  _ “Their prize may not have been what they had in mind, and to  _ never  _ underestimate those they once considered an ally.” _


	16. Chapter 16

**Ch. Sixteen**

The instant Keith had bolted, slamming the door behind him with a hand pressed to his mouth, Sebastián knew someone had to follow. Even if Chris had been telling the truth, even if... Even if it had all been faked - every smile, every kind word - even if it was all pretend because he’d felt bad for them, it was still  _ Keith,  _ and Sebastián still cared for the kid, deep down.

He and Natalia must've had the same thought, because the next thing he knew they were dashing after their friend faster than he, himself, had left, swearing and screaming his name when they hadn't even been bothered to pull the door shut behind them.

Sebastián could still see Keith ahead of them; the crisp, 2:00am air doing nothing to alleviate the anxiety he could feel already bubbling in his chest.  _ “Keith!” _

Natalia, surprisingly, reached him first, and she managed to snatch his wrist, gently but sternly forcing him to a stop. Keith jerked away from her, but once he noticed Sebastián, he made no move to run - though his shoulders remained tensed like a scared, cornered animal.

“Keith,” Sebastián said, because he had absolutely no idea what else he could possibly say in a situation like this. “Are you okay?”

Keith Kogane looked like he had no intentions of answering Sebastián’s question, which the younger boy couldn't help but respect. Certiantly, if  _ he’d  _ been in Keith’s shoes, he would have probably done the same thing. His friend must've seen something flash in his eyes that wasn't actually there, because he took another two steps back, furiously wiping the tears that stained his cheeks. 

“Keith, hey-” Natalia urged, reaching for him again. “Come on, let’s go back inside and we can hear your side of the story and just  _ talk  _ like reasonable-”

“Why would you want to do that?” Poor Keith looked almost on the verge of hysterics, and Sebastián felt the sudden urge to hug him. “You heard what he said. It’s all fake, right? Why would you want to hear my side and make a judgement if we were never even friends in the first place.”

It looked like something was flashing through his mind, seemingly over and over again, judging by the way his eyes would slightly unfocus in one moment before snapping back in the next. 

“Keith, you know that’s not-”

_ “And what if it is!?”  _ Keith choked out, backing up another four or five steps before swiping across his cheeks with the back of his hand. “What if he was telling the truth! What if, this whole time, I had  _ never  _ cared about you in the first place!”

Sebastián didn't know what to think; he had no idea what angle Keith was playing at and, for a second, he actually entertained the possibility in his mind. The Korean boy must've seen it, he  _ must have,  _ because in that same second what remained of his expression crumbled, and he let out a short, choked sob in the middle of the street.

“Maybe you were like that before,” Natalia was crying, too, but she didn't bother to wipe at her face. “But you're not like that now. I  _ know  _ you aren't. We’re your family, Keith. We can-”

“You’re not my family.” Keith wanted to die. He wanted to punch himself in the face, and continue doing so until he was  _ actually dead and buried,  _ never to be seen again, because he just couldn't shut his  _ fucking  _ mouth. But, even so, those words persisted, echoing in the back of his mind. 

_ “Never underestimate those you once considered an ally.” _

“You’re just a little kid, who pushes too far and doesn't know when to stop.” He looked at Natalia, whose breath seemed to be frozen in her lungs. He needed to run. He needed to  _ get away  _ before they could hurt him anymore. And the only way to do that, Keith assumed, was to hurt them first.

Seb took a step forward, eyes pleading. “Keith, you don't mean that.”

“And you?” Keith was backing away, ready to sprint. “You’ll always just be in Lance’s shadow. You think he wants anything to do with you? He _doesn’t_. He never _has_ _.”  _ Keith knew exactly which areas to target and hit, because he’d felt those same insecurities his entire life. “You’ll  _ never  _ amount to  _ anything,  _ because everyone else has already done it for you.”

They were going to hurt him. They were going to  _ hurt him.  _

They were going to hurt him, and Keith knew that one more blow would officially break shatter what was left, and he wasn't really sure if he could manage to pull himself back together after that.

So, he turned as quickly as they’d shown up, and he  _ ran. _

Showing up at Pidge’s house and knocking frantically on their door at two in the morning wasn't exactly the ideal situation, but it was all he could do.

Within a few minutes, the door slowly cracked open, revealing a familiar brown eye through the gap as said person studied his face, a silver chain preventing it to open further.

“Pidge,” he wiped his face, trying not to make an even bigger fool of himself. “I know it’s late as  _ fuck  _ but I just... Something just came up and I’m... I guess I’m scared, and I know its two in the fucking morning and that’s horrible but  _ please,  _ I don't have anywhere else to go.”

“How do you know Pidge?” A male’s voice, curiosity and cautiousness lifting his tone, filtered through the crack, and Keith froze. 

_ Oh. Not Pidge, then. _

“I - I’m their friend,” Keith choked out, and the person behind the door paused, as if thinking of what to say in response, when suddenly he was shoved to the side, yelping sharply as the door shut for half a second before it swung open completely, revealing Pidge, who was standing there in navy green pj bottoms and a loose, gray t-shirt. “Keith! You look like shit. What happened?”

Despite their slightly rude words, Keith found himself grinning through his tears, which were slowly coming to a stop, because he knew that was the kindest thing they could have said given the time of night.

“Pidge!” Someone shouted from inside the house, and Keith heard footsteps thumping down a set of stairs somewhere out of his view. “Not cool, man! How would you have liked it if I let you wake up all alone in a scary dark room all by yourself! You  _ wouldn-”  _ Hunk cut himself off as he peered around the doorway to see what everyone was looking at. “Keith! Hey, man, you look great. Are you here to join our sleepover?”

“Hey, Hunk,” Keith wiped at his face again with the fabric of his shirt that was balled up around his fists. His eyes were cast downward, but he spoke anyway. “Someone smack me for being a piece of shit.”

He didn't even finish his sentence before something hard slammed into his cheek, causing him to lose the breath that was left in his lungs. His head whipped to the side, and he stumbled back onto the walkway before them. “What the hell, Pidge!?”

“You said to smack you!” They defended, crossing their arms while their brother snorted behind his hand. Keith groaned. “Yeah, but I didn't think you would do it that  _ hard!” _

“Stop being such a baby,” they teased, before their smile slowly began to fade. “Come on in, dude. We’re just eating popcorn and playing Mario Kart. I’m sure you’ll have enough time to tell us why you’re a piece of shit once we’re all comfortable.”

“Thank you,” Keith whispered, stepping into their home and closing the door behind him.

+++

The McClain household wasn't doing much better, to be honest.

As soon as Seb, Natalia, and Keith had left, Lance was actually the first one to move. He turned and began to push his way towards the hall, before someone grabbed his wrist in a comforting, nurturing embrace. “Lance, where are you going?”

“If you’ll excuse me,” the boy snapped, yanking his arm away from Chris’ touch. “I have to go make sure my brother is okay.”

He turned, then, marching down the hall and knocking on the door to Daniel’s room as gentle as possible, before resting his forehead against the door when he heard the sound of someone trying to muffle their cries from the other side. “Hey, buddy. It’s alright; can I come in?”

Back in the living room, Ms. Kogane had slowly risen from her seat. Chris, who had retreated to leaning back against the wall, looked up to meet her snarp, unreadable gaze. “You need to leave.”

“Excuse me?” He’d asked, eyebrows raising. “Ms. Kogane, it’s  _ me.  _ It’s Chris.”

Her mouth was set into a hard line. “You need to  _ leave,”  _ she repeated.

“I’m sorry, but this isn't your house,” Chris furrowed his eyebrows. “You can't kick me out.”

_ “Lo siento,”  _ Camila joined her friend’s side as the front door opened again, Natalia and Sebastián hesitating just outside. “Get out of my house, Christopher.”

There was a pause, Chris registering her words carefully for a few moments, before dipping his head in a low, respectful nod. He slowly turned, taking the six steps needed to exit the house, brushing past Natalia and Sebastián, who were tense under his gaze. And then he was gone, and the McClain siblings slowly stepped in to take his place.

There was a long, drawn out beat of silence, before Natalia broke it with a cry, covering her face momentarily before stepping into her Mamá’s arms when they were opened for her. Camila rubbed the girl’s back as she whimpered, trying her best to calm herself so she could hold a brave face, like she knew Sebastián was doing.

“...Sebastián?” Oliver asked quietly from where he stood, peeking out from behind Dominic, who was shielding him kind of protectively. The older boy only sent the two a quick, reassuring smile before gently pushing past them to make his way into the kitchen. 

Oliver looked to his friend, a question on his lips as Dom followed Sebastián with his eyes, watching as he gently shut the door behind him. The youngest Kogane brother, who appeared to be much wiser than he gave himself credit for, turned to Natalia, who was wiping at her face like Keith had as she stepped away from Camila. “Natalia, what happened?”

She inhaled shakily, biting down onto her lip. Dominic reached out to rub her back, and Oliver watched him quickly hide his fist, which was starting to shake, in his jeans pocket. “What did Keith say to you guys?”

Her silence was his answer, and he sighed, knowing full well it had to have hurt. A destination in mind, Dominic Kogane deftly held his hand out to Oliver, barely glancing over because he knew his friend would take it in a heartbeat. Oliver only paused for another second before entwining their fingers, squeezing gently. Dominic raised his head to meet his mother’s eyes, fixing her with a hard stare for just a second before tugging his crush into the kitchen, where Seb had disappeared to.

The overhead light in the kitchen was dim, but they could still easily make out the silhouette of their friend, bent rigidly over the sink as water dripped down his chin, as if he’d been splashing himself in the face to calm himself down. He must not’ve heard them come in, because as Dominic let the old, wooden door fall shut behind him, the eldest boy didn't even flinch at the noise.

Exchanging a quick glance, the sophomores studied his back, unsure of what to do about the situation. Dominic wasn't quite sure how to read it, but Oliver gently removed his hand from his friend’s grip, flicking him on the forehead and grinning reassuringly.

After quietly crossing the room so he stood behind Sebastián, he only paused for a second more before slipping his arms around his waist, mumbling something into the darkness when Seb had instinctively tensed. Oliver turned his head so his cheek rested on the space between his shoulder blades, tightening his grip when Sebastián leaned into him slightly, beginning to relax. 

Dominic’s socked feet shuffled across the tile flooring, trailing over Oliver’s tan, freckled skin, to the way Sebastián’s shirt hugged him just right. The oldest boy slowly raised his gaze, meeting Dom’s eyes as a question danced in his. The fourteen-year-old threaded his fingers together, a familiar nervous habit, before finally closing the distance between them, stepping into Sebastián’s open arms with little hesitation. 

Oliver hummed, and, slowly, Sebastián’s posture relaxed, and Dom’s lips twitched when his long arms almost seemed to cage him in, letting out a long sigh. Oliver’s eyelashes fluttered, but he kept his grip secure, making sure Seb knew he was still there.

They stayed like that, in this awkward, three-way hug that was so strange but so unique to them and them alone, just breathing in each other’s scents and feeling the way their muscles tensed and relaxed and moved under their touch, as if performing an experiment.

“I...” Dominic whispered into Sebastián’s shirt, feeling both Seb and Oliver’s attention locked onto his voice, and Dominic tightened his grip self-consciously. “I’m, like, so in love with both of you I literally don't know what to do with myself anymore.”

Not even a beat of silence had passed before Oliver peeked over Sebastián’s shoulder curiously, only his eyes visible over the fabric as they beamed adorably. “Both of us?”

Dominic hummed in response, heart pulsing in his throat uncontrollably in a spazzed, freaking-the-hell-out, erratic pattern, hands already shaking from the nausea that was creeping up his throat, a familiar feeling that came with every confession. 

But all of that stopped when Sebastián’s grip tightened around him, and he let out a long, relieved, breathy laugh, squeezing his eyes shut and hiding his face in the youngest boy’s hair. “Jesus Christ, I thought I was the only one.”

Slowly, he’d turned, running his hand through Oliver’s soft blond locks when the third boy began to furiously nod against his back, as if Seb had taken the words right from his mouth. Sebastián gently pushed Oliver back so he was on the other side of him, shoulder to shoulder with Dominic as both boys stared up at him expectantly. 

“You have a girlfriend,” he murmured in Oliver’s direction, who who had already began to absentmindedly play with Dominic’s fingers.

Dom also cast his gaze over to his friend, who only rolled his eyes like the statement was the most absurd thing he’d heard all year, shooting them both a sharp, ready grin. “We broke up on, like, Friday. She thought I liked someone else. Which, I mean, is technically kinda true but, you know. It’s just the usual highschool bulls-”

Dominic quieted him before he could finish his sentence, tilting his head to the side and pressing an impatient, slightly irritated kiss to the corner of Oliver’s mouth. The second boy’s instinctual response was to grin stupidly as his friend pulled away, hiding his face by glaring in the other direction. “What was that for?”

“For being an idiot,” Dominic snapped, but Sebastián chose to ignore him as he studied the soft curves of Oliver’s features with slightly hooded eyes. He found himself leaning closer, pressing an experimental kiss to the other corner of Oliver’s mouth, who followed him with his gaze but did nothing to push him away. Slowly, he inched his way in again, cupping the boy’s face with one hand so he could connect their lips for the first time in his life, immediately recognizing the sweet application of Oliver’s peppermint chapstick on his tongue.

Oliver responded with a sweet hum, kissing back like it was his second nature while his fingers idly trailed down Seb’s arm. Sebastián tentatively pulled away after a few seconds, looking back to Dominic, who was already studying him with wide, curious eyes. 

The eldest boy dipped his head once more, using his other free hand to trail along the youngest boy’s jawline, picking up the faint scent of cologne, probably applied yesterday morning, before closing the gap once more. Dominic relaxed under his touch, and they kissed lazily for another few seconds before Sebastián pulled back for the second time, eyes flicking between them.

“Am I... Am I going to wake up in a second?” He asked hoarsely, and Oliver blinked, yawning cutely before covering his mouth with his hands in fear of the contagiousness. Leaning forward, he dropped his head onto Sebastián’s shoulder, nuzzling into his neck sleepily. “Nope,” he murmured, and Dominic found himself nodding quietly. “You’re stuck with us, now, whether you like it or not.”

+++

“Get out, Lance,” Daniel spoke from underneath a mountain of pillows and blankets. Lance studied the mass of fabric, letting out a long sigh in an attempt to erase the tension that had been building there.

Stepping into his sister’s - his  _ brother’s _ room, Lance allowed the door to close behind him before he scooped a box of tissues off his desk, crouching on the floor in front of his bed. “Psst.”

No response. He adjusted his position so he was sitting, drumming his fingers on his shins for a few moments before tentatively poking the blankets, roughly where his head would be, with the tissue box.  _ “Psst.” _

“What?” Daniel took the bait, lifting his blankets a little bit, just so Lance could see his eyes. Lance didn't comment on the way his nose was running or the dampness of his pillow, instead holding the tissues into the light so they were visible.

Daniel’s fingers slipped out of his blanket-fort, deftly taking his brother’s gift and sneaking it back, before, quick as lightning, his eyes disappeared as he retucked the blanket around himself.

“Aw, come on,” Lance complained, but there was no trace of anger or annoyance in his voice. The blanket fort shifted for a few seconds, before a used kleenex was produced from the darkness, into Lance’s view. 

“Ew,  _ gross!”  _ He squealed as soon as he saw it, picking it up with his thumb and forefinger in an attempt to fling it across the room. Much to his luck, in his panic he dropped the used tissue onto his lap, prompting a shriek three octaves higher than he thought possible as he fumbled with the harmless piece of kleenex. 

In front of him, Daniel had lifted the covers slightly, watching his younger brother fumble with his snot rag before finally resorting to tossing it behind him onto the desk that was pushed up against the wall, cursing and brushing himself off. 

The entire scene prompted a quiet giggle from the older boy, and Lance glanced back to his brother, chest still heaving from the ordeal. “You think this is funny?”

“You’re just...” Daniel finally pushed himself into a seated position, trying to tame his long brown hair that spilled over his shoulder. It was in a braid, hours ago, but the hairstyle was almost unrecognizable after the events of day. “...You’re so gay, Lance.”

Lance smiled softly, rubbing the back of his neck as he blinked up at his older brother tamely. “Thanks.”

Keith’s face flashed through his mind, a tentative smile pulling at his lips as Lance swayed with him in the darkness of his bedroom, laughing when they’d fumbled with their footing. 

_ Stop that, idiot,  _ Lance scolded himself, remembering what he was there for. Daniel had been studying his face, probably trying to piece together what he was thinking about, but he jumped when his brother turned back to him with an exaggerated smile, pushing himself to his feet and offering a hand. “C’mon, hermano. Let’s go play some Call of Duty and pray Mamá lets us stay home from school today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so so so sorry again for not uploading!!! The next update will be so much sooner, I promise


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning! Seriously! There’s a bit of sexual assault in this chapter; it’s at the very end and I’ve put ** where it starts and ends, so please please feel free to skip over if it makes you uncomfortable. Stay safe everybody.

**Ch. Seventeen**

“We need to talk about your life choices,” Pidge leaned their elbows on the kitchen table, observing the mess scattered around their poor friend.

“You underestimate just how much food I can stuff in my mouth before I need to be stopped,” was Hunk’s immediate answer, looking down at the food he’d just finished baking, scattered around him unceremoniously. 

Pidge pursed their lips, but gave in after a few seconds, breaking into a laugh as Hunk took another bite before wrinkling his nose, pushing the dish away. “Man, oh, yeah; that doesn't taste like mom’s Pipikaula. I might’ve used the wrong recipe.”

To their right, the front door swung open quietly, a gloved hand holding it against the wall as said figure shrugged off his shoes, keeping the jacket as he turned for the stairs. 

“Woah, woah, woah,” Pidge started before the boy could make his escape. “Where’ve you been all day?”

“Out,” Keith snapped, glancing back once before racing up the stairs, two at a time, before finally disappearing into the safety of the guest bedroom, swinging the door closed behind him so he could finally attempt to relieve the tension from his body. 

He paced around the room for a few seconds, before finally dropping down onto the bed, the aroma of freshly cleaned sheets ringing as artificial to the point he squirmed, sitting up again with a huff. 

Their school had let out hours ago, but it wasn't like Keith had been there. He, instead, had been spending his time everywhere he knew Lance was  _ not.  _ The rink, the old pizzeria place; hell, even a few bars. Fake IDs weren't a rarity, and Keith chose to play hypocrite and drink  _ just  _ enough to begin to feel numb, before stumbling back to Pidge’s house and escaping into the guest room he was staying in before anyone could take notice.

He hadn't been at school all week, and, despite it coming up on a Thursday, neither Dom nor Shiro had made any attempts to contact him after he sent one text each, reassuring them he was fine and staying at a friend’s.

Ms. Kogane, surprisingly,  _ had  _ been calling and texting him; he just hoped she would stop once she realized there was no chance he was ever going to answer.

He must've sat there for what had to be a half an hour, staring blankly at the ceiling above him as he listened to the sound of his own breathing, the only sound circulating around the cold, empty room for God knows how long.

He, to put it bluntly, was completely and utterly  _ numb. _

After what seemed like forever was spent lying on his back and studying the cracks that ran along the walls, Keith let out a long sigh, pushing himself to his feet and stretching. Walking over to the closed bedroom door, he slowly turned the knob, poking his head outside cautiously. 

The house was dark, and after hesitating for a few more minutes, he slowly pushed the door open further, listening to the creaking of the hinges disrupt the silence around him. It was something out of a horror game, yet Keith couldn't find it in himself to be afraid. 

Because, after all, he was the one that seemed to be the monster.

The two-story house settled around him, occasionally letting out quiet groans under his weight as he shuffled down the hall and towards the stairs, trailing his fingers against the wall to his right as he moved. The stairs made little to no sound as he descended them, hands barely brushing against the railing before suddenly he’d landed at the front door.

It didn't take him long to silently pick a destination, slipping his boots on once more before glancing behind him to make sure he hadn't woken anybody up in his haste. When nothing stirred around him, Keith turned back, pulling the door open before stepping out into the chilly, nighttime air.

He just needed to  _ feel _ something again.

The club wasn't packed to the brim on this Wednesday night like he’d kind of anticipated it would be, but it wasn't completely deserted, either. He flashed the bouncer his fake ID so she could nod him in, eyes barely passing over his face before scanning the next card presented to her.

He pushed past the hot dance floor, sweaty bodies grinding against one another as the bass shook the building around them, almost deafening, before finally dropping into a stool at the bar, slouching forward once he was seated. The bartender slid him a drink as he nodded in thanks, before sipping quietly and grimacing as the alcohol slid down his throat, leaving it burning from the unwelcomed taste.

Someone slid into the seat next to his, but he ignored them, continuing to relish the pain of the drink stirring up his liver like a raging fire, continually spreading with seemingly no end in sight.

By the time he’d finished, the person next to him had also ordered. Keith felt them occasionally glance in his direction, studying his profile, but he brushed it off and looked the other way, refusing to meet their gaze.

“Do you come here often?” The stranger asked, voice rich with a foreign accent. He cringed at their words, finally shooting a quick, split second glance to where they sat. He only noticed tan skin and blue eyes before he had to look away, his entire stomach churning as he suddenly felt the urge to vomit all over himself.

When he didn't reply, the other man leaned forward, beckoning the bartender to come over with a wave of his hand. “Refill his drink, please. It’s on me.”

Something stirred in his stomach besides the alcohol in his system; a natural gut instinct that if he didn't find himself leaving very, very soon, something exceedingly bad was going to happen.

But, for whatever reason - whether it be his slightly foggy brain not waking up on time, or something else entirely - the boy couldn't find it in himself to move away. After all, the man was offering to buy him a drink. How bad could that possibly be?

When the new drink had been placed in front of him, Keith tamely took another sip, barely registering the sting of the alcohol anymore as it sloshed down his throat.

“I haven't seen you around,” the stranger repeated in a low voice, though he made no move to enter Keith’s space. “Do you come here often?”

“No,” Keith said at last, downing the rest of his drink. “And fuck off.”

He was kind of surprised to see a smile curling the man’s lip, but it was gone the instant it appeared. “Little hothead,” he mused under his breath, before stepping away from the bar and offering his hand politely. “Would you like to dance?”

“No,” Keith said again, not even looking at the man anymore as he had reverted his attention to an awkward crack in the marble on the bar itself, tracing his finger over it lightly and pondering over how it might have happened. “And fuck off.”

“Come on,” the stranger only whispered in response, gently taking Keith’s hand in his own and pulling him out of his seat. The younger boy tried to resist; tried to pull away and slap him across the face, but, for whatever reason, he couldn't quite find it in himself to do so.

The dance floor around them was alive and pulsing with energy, but when the seventeen-year-old was pulled against a broad chest, someone’s hand encasing his in a grip  _ just  _ too tight to be considered friendly, the first traces of panic began to set in.

The man in front of him was tall, hair spilling over his shoulder in an effortless style. Keith didn't typically find  _ super  _ long hair on other dudes that attractive, but this guy seemed to make it work. Those lips were pulled up into another one of the smiles he’d given him back at the bar, and Keith felt a shiver of nausea run down his spine.

His head had already been beginning to pound, which confused him as he’d only had two drinks. After a moment of contemplating, Keith wrote it off as the bass in the background rattling his brain, and he shouldn't worry about it.

The stranger appeared to be older, probably in his late twenties or early thirties. That fact alone didn't help the way his grip on Keith’s wrist never slackened, or the way his other hand was holding his waist securely, as if making sure he couldn't run anywhere.

When Lance touched him, Keith couldn't help but feel protected. Maybe it was the way he carefully threaded their fingers together, as if the Korean boy was the most fragile thing he'd ever seen, or how he left a featherlight touch on his waist like he’d just wanted to reassure Keith he was still there, and wouldn't be leaving.

That thought alone - the sensation of Lance’s warm, ocean blue eyes drawing him back to reality, helped his shoulders droop; helped a calming, almost liquid sensation to fill his aching body. Upon seeing Keith had stopped fighting his hold temporarily, the man’s grip relaxed. Keith didn't think to immediately jerk away, however. He could tell the stranger was still tense, and wouldn't hesitate to lock an even tighter grip around his bruised wrist.

Together, they moved to the beat, and Keith pursed his lips when he leaned in, his breath hot on the younger boy’s ear. “What d’you say we go somewhere a little more private, love?”

 

***tiny bit of sexual assault up ahead, please skip it if it makes you uncomfortable***

 

Keith’s fucking limbs were jello, and he began to slump against the man, a choked gasp escaping his lips because he  _ couldn't fucking move.  _ Holy shit, is this what dying feels like?

“That’s it,” the older man hushed him, easing his arm around Keith’s waist and allowing his head to fall onto his shoulder, ignoring the strangled, panicked groan that sounded from the back of his throat.

_ Jesus,  _ the moment Keith regained his motor control, he was  _ so  _ going to drive his fist down this guy’s throat.

In the next few seconds, his hazy brain processed the sensation of being eased back against a wall, head rolling to the side before long, slim fingers lifted his chin, pressing a rough, open-mouthed kiss to his jawline. He jerked against his touch numbly, his stomach churning in fear, and he wrenched his shoulders forward, another gasp leaving his lips numbly when rough hands grasped his sides, squeezing tightly, as if in a warning. “Shh...”

Where was he...? Keith wanted to scream; he wanted to yell and shout and cry and swing his fists and hammer this prick to the ground as hard as he could, but his fingers only twitched uselessly as the stranger trailed his warm, wet lips down Keith’s neck, biting softly as a continual stream of whimpers left the younger boy’s mouth.

Holy shit; he was going to die here.

Choked, frantic gasps were the only things to be heard around them, and the man gently pressed the palm of his hand to Keith’s mouth. The sudden urge to down an entire gallon of water overcame his senses, along with drowsiness, like he hadn't slept in three days straight.

_ Someone... Someone, please. Please! Lance! Someone! _

His eyelids fluttered, throat burning as he tried to choke out the only words he could possibly think to say. “Who... The fuck.... Are you?”

The man paused at the sound, and Keith felt his disgusting smile against his collar bones before he leaned back, just enough so Keith could catch the wicked glint dancing in those deep blue eyes, freckles dotting his nose as his long hair spilled over his shoulder, tickling Keith’s face. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could hear someone’s footsteps approaching, followed by a tentative, “hey, is everything okay over...”

He was also vaguely aware of the helpless, wheezing groan that fell from his lips before that same damn hand covered his mouth. Someone shouted, rather aggressively, a hand on the scary man’s shoulder before he was suddenly jerked away from Keith, who gasped on the ground like he’d just remembered how to breathe.

 

***you can breathe again***

 

A few more people had come running, and someone slammed the man’s shoulders into the concrete wall behind him, screaming in his face while someone else’s warm, foreign hands were on Keith’s back, helping him sit up. 

The stranger that had approached Keith only grinned from his spot, as if he were so pleased with his work before that same toothy smile could be visible under the haze placed on Keith’s vision. “You can talk to me however you’d like, sweetheart, but most people just call me Lotor.”

Someone had shouted his name, panic gripping their voice as he was only slightly aware of his body being jostled, like someone was shaking him. Keith only had a moment to be confused as to how these strangers knew exactly who he was before he let out another low groan, head pounding, vision spinning, and suddenly he was limp; a pair of hands gripping his shoulders the last thing he’d registered before his vision had faded to black completely.


	18. Chapter 18

**Ch. Eighteen**

Lance wasn't talking.

The morning after everything went to shit, he’d just... Stopped. His siblings had all tried to engage him as the week progressed, but they couldn't seem to get a verbal response, no matter what they did. At one point, he had simply whispered a hoarse “I’m just tired,” to which Sebastián had immediately called bullshit. 

Everyone in the busy household, even Dom, Shiro, and Oliver (when he would stop by) had made an attempt to get more than a few words out of him at a time, but Lance just seemed... numb.

Sure, he would speak when prompted at school, or politely ask for another helping at dinner, or whisper  _ “excuse me,”  _ if, God forbid, he was trying to get around someone. The household itself had kind of fallen into a funk after Keith left and Lance stopped being himself.

Even Daniel had tried to snap some sense into him, squatting on the ground in front of him so he peered up at his younger brother, touching his arm, nudging his leg, just  _ trying  _ to get some sort of response other than that tired, dead stare. Lance would sometimes talk softly to his mother in their native tongue, but no more than a few short, clipped sentences in response to hers.

“It’s almost like he just went through a breakup,” Sebastián had voiced his thoughts to Dominic one day, who was cuddled up in his lap, arms hooked around his neck lazily. The younger boy nodded, his grip on Seb’s sweatshirt tightening momentarily. “I just hope Keith’s okay, you know?”

_ “Lo sé, hermoso. Todo irá bien,” _ Sebastián murmured into his hair, and a gentile blush grew on Dominic’s cheeks as he could easily translate due to the Spanish classes he’d been taking at school. 

_ I know, beautiful. It’ll be alright. _

Biting his lip, Dominic hid his face in Seb’s chest.  _ Why are you so perfect? _

_ “¿Por qué eres tan perfecto?”  _ He whispered, feeling Sebastián’s grip around him tighten as he breathed a laugh, peppering kisses down the side of Dominic’s face. “Don’t get all corny on me,  _ mi amor. _ We’re supposed to be figuring out what’s wrong with my brother.”

“Mm,” Dominic hummed in response, shifting so he could get a good look at Lance, who had isolated himself from the group by sitting alone in the kitchen. The younger boy studied his profile, watching as his eyebrows creased before smoothing out; watching him lower his head, hands clenching together under the table. “We already tried talking to him. What else is there to do besides drag Keith back and make everyone apologize?”

“Do you even know where Keith  _ is?”  _ Sebastián asked warily, noticing the way his hands fit snugly over the curve of Dominic’s lower back. The Korean boy nodded gently, yawning and dropping his head onto Seb’s shoulder. “Yeah. He texted me two days ago. He’s at Pidge’s.”

“Do you...” Sebastián began, but cut himself off like he wasn't sure if he should talk. Dominic glanced up, pressing a lingering kiss to his lips before leaning back slightly. “Do I what?”

His boyfriend sighed when they’d parted, leaning his head back on the couch once more before looking over to Lance. “Do you think... This was really all fake to Keith? That he didn't... Care?”

“No.” Dominic didn't even have to think about his answer before he was speaking, pulling his knees even tighter to his chest. “No. Not at all. I know my brother. He’s a fucking liar, that’s for sure, but he can't lie  _ that  _ well for  _ that  _ long.” 

Seb still looked unconvinced, so Dominic tipped his head back, dragging his lips down his face, nibbling the lobe of his ear gently while Sebastián shivered. Dom pulled back, smiling against his neck before pressing another kiss to his skin. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” his answer was immediate, and Sebastián felt Dom’s grin widen. “Good, because I’m telling the truth.”

“You guys make me want to barf,” Natalia commented sweetly as she passed them, reaching out to tug Seb’s hair like the annoying sister she was, before continuing her walk to the kitchen while Dominic laughed at Sebastián’s scowl.

The fourteen-year-old greeted Lance when she’d stepped inside, pretending it didn't sting when he hadn't even acknowledged her and instead opening the fridge, shuffling around inside of it as her gray eyes scanned its continents, almost dejectedly.

Finally deciding on the poptart box that had been hanging out  _ next  _ to the fridge, she pulled out a bag that crinkled when it moved, popping it open and walking around to the dining room table where Lance was sitting, dropping into the seat across from him unceremoniously before sliding a poptart out of the package, holding it out to Lance. When he hadn't moved, Natalia raised her eyebrows, unamused, slowly waving the food in front of his nose like he was a dog, hoping to get a reaction when the scent of artificial strawberries hit him.

He only shook his head numbly, barely moving at all, and Natalia frowned. That wasn't what she was hoping for. 

Refusing to take no for an answer, the girl slowly broke off a piece, pushing to her feet so she could lean across the table and press it against his mouth. He did look up at her, then, and Natalia locked eyes with her brother, applying even more pressure to his lips. “Wakey wakey; here comes the choo-choo train!”

She wanted him to talk - to make a dumb, witty comment at her expense, to laugh or joke around or, hell, even push her hand away. He did none of that, however, slowly raising his fingers to his lips and taking the poptart from her, nibbling gently.

Natalia knew for a fact Lance didn't even _like_ strawberry poptarts, but still he sat, without complaint, like a soldier. 

Somewhere behind them, the front door creaked open before closing just as fast, but Natalia didn't care to look and see who it was before the kitchen door opened behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see him; a soft, affectionate smile gracing his features before he’d stepped inside, towards Lance.

“Hey,” Chris whispered, and Natalia felt her stomach twist.

Lance didn't acknowledge him, but he didn't seem to mind, instead dropping into the seat next to him. Natalia watched as Chris gently turned his head with his thumb, pressing a kiss against Lance’s unmoving mouth in greeting before pulling back and running his tongue across his lips. “Mm, strawberry poptart? My favorite. Could you pass them over, Nat?”

Natalia didn't speak, much like her brother, mouth twisting as she slid the bag across the table to him, harder than she probably should have. This guy was getting on her nerves, and despite everything Keith had done after, Natalia decided she still liked Chris less.

She, without warning, pushed herself away from the table, chair scraping across the tile after Chris had kissed her brother’s temple and pressed another part of the treat to his lips, waiting for Lance to take a bite. Lance’s eyes barely moved at the noise, but Chris glanced up to meet her eyes. “Are you leaving already?”

“Yeah,” she snapped before she could stop herself, before pressing a hand to her lips in annoyance. God, she was turning into Keith.

“I’m heading up to the club later tonight,” she heard him murmur to her brother, but slammed the door shut behind her before she could hear the rest of his sentence, nausea slowly creeping up her throat for a reason she couldn't quite place.

The disruption startled Oliver, who was taking his shoes off at the stoop. Sebastián and Dominic both glanced up from the group’s conversation, before Oliver slowly made his way over to them, studying Natalia with cautious eyes. “Is everything alright?”

Natalia said nothing as she watched him peck Dominic’s lips in greeting, who smiled lazily at the contact, before Sebastián linked their hands together as he settled down next to them, already yawning. “Yeah. Everything’s completely fine.”

+++

Of course it was Chris that had found him.

Of  _ course,  _ he moment Keith snapped his eyes open, jerking up with a start before letting out a short-cut whine as a butcher knife repeatedly stabbed at his brain, red flashing behind his dilated pupils before he sunk back into the wall, Christopher fuckin’ Maciver chose that moment to push open the door to the room with a plate of food in hand.

They both froze upon noticing the other, and Keith’s hands clenched at his sides as he dropped his head back so it hit the wall behind him, breathing still kind of shallow. “Water...?” He asked hoarsely.

Chris only paused for another second before nodding quickly, moving into the room where Keith stood and holding out a sealed bottle. The younger boy took it gratefully, popping it open and downing half of it in a few seconds, pulling it away with a long, disoriented breath. “Where am I? What time is it?”

“You...” Chris sighed incredulously at his question, as if he couldn't believe Keith didn't know the answer to what he’d just asked. 

Curiously, the middle Kogane brother’s eyes flicked around the room, scanning over the pastel green wallpaper, action figures from 2007 decorating various shelves, and he could even spot an old stack of comic books hidden behind a bin in the corner. He was in Chris’ room.

“Oh,” Keith whispered, and Chris nodded once before setting the plate of food on the bedside table, next to where Keith was standing. “It’s Thursday morning. Ah, it’s... He raised his forearm to his face, peering at his wristwatch quietly. “9:47am. School’s already started, though I don't think that’s really your biggest concern at this point. None of the McClain kids went today, either.”

“What happened?” Keith rubbed his temple, where his brain was still pounding under his skull. “Why am I here?”

“You ask too many questions,” Chris scolded, but there wasn't a trace of annoyance in his voice. If anything, Keith could pick up sympathy darting across his irises. “I was... God, I was with some friends, at the club, planning to get wasted. But as we made our way to the building, we saw this creepy, hunched figure pressed up against the side of it. Will said it was probably just some homeless dude, but, I... I don't know, I just knew something was wrong.”

Keith studied his face as he talked, but cut him off before he could say anymore. “Is Lance okay?”

Chris paused, blinking once in surprise. “Ah... What?”

“You didn't bring him with you.” Keith asked, but it came out like an unarguable statement. “You didn't touch him. He’s fine.”

“Wha - yeah! Of course he’s fine!” Chris even had the audacity to look a little offended. “Look, just - when we walked over there, I realized someone was like, straddling this kid. Warning flag number one, right? Number two hit when he twitched and tried to jerk away, but when I saw your face... Jesus, I was so scared, Keith.”

“Why?” Keith whispered, casting his eyes to the plate next to him before plucking a few grapes from the mess, popping them into his mouth and chewing slowly. “You hate me, remember?”

“I don't hate you,” Chris responded after a moment of hesitance. Keith gazed up at the teenager, and, for the first time, realized how  _ young  _ he was. Chris was just eighteen; he’d lost his parents, lost his childhood, never thought he’d ever have anybody. And then he  _ finally _ did... But he managed to convince himself it wasn't real, after all of it.

Keith opened his mouth to apologize, to say he was so  _ goddamn  _ sorry for everything that had gone down throughout another shitty year, but he surprised them both by murmuring four words he didn't think Christopher had heard anybody ask him throughout his entire life.

“Are you okay, Chris?”

The air stilled around the two of them, much like the breath in his ex’s lungs, and Keith studied his face, only noticing open, barely registered shock flashing through his expression. “Am... Am I...”

“Are you okay?” Keith paused again, eyebrows upturned in compassion. The timid, shaky, “I don’t think I am,” Chris had whispered in response after another second of hesitation was all it took for Keith to cross the room, pulling the other boy into a sudden, tight hug.

He’d felt Chris freeze against him, his breath stalling for the second time, and Keith only tightened his hold, picturing a frightened child in front of him, whispering a quiet “I’m so sorry,” into his hair.

Slowly, he felt Chris’ arms encase him, clinging on like a kid lost at sea who’d just found the last lifeboat after hours of searching in the dark. Keith didn't know what had possessed him to do it, but he didn't regret it when he’d felt Chris’ hands begin to tremble.

He thought, in a way, that they both just needed a hug, a friend - that  _ everyone  _ needs one or the other every now and again, no matter how much they claim they don't, and never will. 

When the two lost boys had finally separated Keith stepped back, cutting of Chris’ haste apology with a gentile smile, an action so  _ unlike  _ him. “Chris, it’s... it’s alright. I should be the one apologizing to you, after all those years.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “But, hey, just so you know?” He waited until Chris met his eyes before he continued. “Even if it was all fake, at first, I really did end up loving you for real.”

Chris studied his face for a few seconds, before leaning against the wall behind him and quickly running a hand over his eyes. “I know.”

There was another brief pause, and Keith couldn't help but notice the light sensation in his chest, as if the world had started to turn again and the sun was streaming in and it was a beautiful summer day, away from the suffocating cold of the winter that had passed just before.

“Oh, hey,” his ex suddenly jerked to life, hand slipping into his back pocket, seemingly to grab something, before presenting Keith’s phone to him. “I found it right before I took you home. Sorry, it got cracked and everything, but at least it still works?”

Carefully, Keith grasped the device, examining the long, ugly crack that had split down the center. 

“I can probably help you pay for a new one, if you want,” Chris was talking quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, it’s not  _ that  _ bad but if you wanted to get a...” 

His words faded as Keith’s vision blurred, thumb absentmindedly rubbing over the ridge as Dominic’s old phone flashed through his mind, watching his brother’s face when he’d received it, enjoying how his eyes had lit up like it was Christmas morning, hearing his words echoing through Keith’s mind like a drumbeat, pulsing and growing louder and completely deafening the world around them. 

...Sure, it had a long, jagged crack down the center, and some parts didn’t work as well as they used to, but he was willing to put in the effort to fix it.  _ It’s not the phone that needs to be replaced _ , Dom had said when Keith asked him about it over lunch one day;  _ it’s the people that used it and damaged it in the first place. _

“Keith?” Chris caught his attention, waving his hand in front of his eyes as if he wasn't sure what else to do. “Hey, why are you tearing up?”

Keith saw Lance’s face, pictured him rolling onto the scary, unfamiliar rink in search of Chris’ gaze. He could almost feel those warm, tan fingers gripping his forearms, remembered what he’d thought to himself as he tried to meet those ocean blue eyes.  _ He was afraid, and he didn’t know what was going to happen next, but he was willing to put up with that for someone he loved. Could love. Would love. _

Lance, as much as Keith hated to admit it... Was family. He was family, just as much as Dominic, or Shiro. Just as much as Chris, and Natalia, Daniel, Sebastián, and even Anton and Venita, as little as they were. They were all his  _ family. _

They were his family, and Keith needed to do something to preserve that before he truly lost them forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only one chapter left, my dear. hold tight.


	19. Chapter 19

**Ch. Nineteen**

Keith’s breath was lost to the morning air around him, but he didn't care. His arms pumped at his sides, the frigid wind around him stinging his rosy cheeks, coiling around his bare arms and numbing his fingers, but  _ he didn't care. _

He didn't care if he tripped and fell off a cliff, at this point, so long as he was able to make it to that stupidly comforting, brown, two-story house just ahead of him. Keith’s throat stung from the cold air around him, almost becoming painful to inhale, but he pushed on, knowing that in just a few more strides, a few more  _ inches,  _ he would...

Keith stopped just outside the sturdy wooden door, fist raised mid-way into the air as if he were about to furiously knock, yet hesitated. He  _ was  _ hesitating, doubts clouding every rational thought that could have possibly crossed his mind. No way they would want to see him, after everything that had gone down. His siblings might have been the one and only exception, but he still wasn't even sure about them.

Before he could make a concrete decision about what to do, the door swung open for him. Natalia let out a yelp as she almost slammed into him on her way outside, stumbling back uncertiantly so she could take a look at who was standing on their stoop.

Once she took in Keith’s still form, fist still frozen in the air as he stood there, eyes as wide as hers, Natalia only blinked up at him for a second more before none too gently slamming the door in his face.

He sighed at the obvious dismissal, ears twitching as he listened to people shuffling around just inside. There was no movement on the other side of the door, and he figured Natalia was doing the same thing as him; listening.

Timidly, he leaned forward, resting his forehead on the door with a shaky breath as he raised his knuckles to the wood, tapping on it gently because he knew the girl could hear. “Natalia, please,” he whispered.

All movement inside the home seemed to cease, and Keith waited with baited breath, the flat of his palm now pressed up against the structure as he squeezed his eyes shut. Nobody was coming. Nobody was... Nobody was coming.

This was the end.

Keith, clenched fists stuffed into his pockets, shoulders tense and shaking, slowly began to turn from the door. He made his way down the concrete in front of the house, down the rocky path that led him back to the street, where he would have to figure out where to go.

Pidge would probably take him back in, but he didn't want to be a burden. Maybe he knew someone from school who would... No, let’s face it. Keith wasn't friends with anyone from school.

Behind him, the door cracked open, but he forced himself to keep moving, knowing they were just watching to make sure he’d really left.

“Keith.”

Keith turned at the sound of his name, tucking his bottom lip in between his teeth as he turned back, observing the way Natalia leaned on the doorframe, a cautiousness in her eyes he’d never seen before, but it was neighbored with curiosity. “You have one minute.”

He couldn't believe it. He couldn't  _ believe  _ someone had spoken to him, after everything. Keith’s lips parted, eyebrows raising in surprise before Natalia rolled her eyes, a familiar, teasing smile upturning her lips as she nodded inside the house, to a place obscured to Keith’s vision. “Okay, maybe ten. Come on, idiot.”

“Thank you,” Keith whispered, turning back to her and picking up his stride, easily slipping into the house around the younger girl, resisting the urge to reach out and ruffle her hair like he’d done so many times to Dominic.

“Keith?” A familiar voice asked from just inside, and Keith raised his gaze to the kitchen door, where Oliver was poking his head through curiously. Upon seeing his friend, a smile had instantly grown on his face, dotted with light freckles. Suddenly, Keith was almost tackled in a side-hug, and he glanced down to see Dominic clinging onto him, hiding his face in Keith’s shoulder. 

Oliver made his way over to the pair, and Keith raised his hand in greeting, to which the kid instantly fist-bumped, beaming up at the older boy. “I missed you!”

“I missed you too, bud,” Keith murmured, turning back to Dominic and smoothing the hair back off his forehead. Secretly, he was grateful his younger brother had missed him this much after only a few days of being apart; it reassured him he was at least doing  _ something _ right.

Someone, who had been making their way into the living room, paused their stride. Keith raised his eyes, locking his gaze with Lance’s, who had stopped just as the hall ended. 

“Let me explain,” Keith offered quietly as Dominic slowly pulled away, moving to stand next to Oliver, who cutely hooked an arm around his waist as both boys stared up at the middle Kogane brother.

“Keith?” Sebastián’s voice carried into the room, and Keith snapped his gaze up to where he and Daniel were standing on the staircase, Daniel’s mouth pressing into a thin line once he’d seen who was visiting. Keith could vaguely hear Anton’s voice, blending into Venita’s somewhere upstairs while Shiro spoke with them, voice muffled but still easily heard through the thin floorboards. 

“Hi,” Keith breathed, addressing all of them at once as Natalia slipped around him to stand next to Sebastián as he made his way to ground level, who easily wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a brotherly nature once he’d noticed her presence. “What are you doing here?”

“I... I came to...” Keith took a deep, rattling breath. What  _ had  _ he come there for? What possessed him to show up at their house on a random Thursday morning, whole body trembling as he glanced from face to face. “I came to make things okay again.”

From the staircase, Daniel tilted his head, but didn't move, instead slowly lowering himself to sit on one of the steps, knees drawn to his chest. 

“Look, I...” Keith didn't know where to start. Where  _ were  _ you even supposed to start in a situation like this? He twisted his hands together, subconsciously bunching up the hem of his shirt self-consciously, perfectly aware of what was riding on the next couple of minutes.

Across the room, Lance met his eyes for the second time. He still hadn't spoken, and Keith wondered if something was wrong. Or maybe it was Keith that was the matter - maybe Lance was furious; that he couldn't be sure. Either way, as he was finally able to meet those eyes again, able to attempt at deciphering the gears whirring in his head, able to just  _ exist  _ in the same space, and Keith couldn't have been more thankful.

“All my life,” he finally began, tearing his eyes away from his Lance’s to scan around the room, his grip on his old red t-shirt slowly slackening. “I’ve never believed in magic. I’ve never believed in fate, or soulmates, or any of that crap. Because, honestly, why would it affect me? Why the hell should I let it control my actions, or help me make decisions? Why should I have hope that  _ one day _ , I’ll meet someone who turns my entire life around and  _ ‘makes me complete’  _ or some shit like that?”

He’d gathered Natalia’s full attention, and she watched him carefully from where she stood across the room, peeking out from behind her older brother.

“But, then, I guess I realized something,” Keith was mumbling, hand rubbing the back of his neck because he already knew how embarrassing his next few words were going to be. “Soulmates... Soulmates don’t exist, at least, not in the typical fashion. You can have more than one, and they don't have to all be romantic. A lot of people think that once you find your other half, your life is perfect, and you don't have to worry about anything anymore. But... honestly?

“Once you find those people, you don't  _ know  _ how much they mean to you until they're almost gone. Soulmates don't complete you; they challenge you, and drive you insane, and make you do stupid things and say things you don't mean and always,  _ always  _ make you a better person. And when they leave?” Keith was rambling, he knew, but, unlike every other day of his life, he didn't want to  _ stop. _

“And when they leave, it feels like you can no longer live because that part of you - the part that’s changed and grown and gone through hell and back and became better all by itself is  _ gone  _ without them _.  _ It’s gone, and sometimes nobody can do anything about it, which is the scariest part. I.. I  _ want  _ to do something about it. I want to make it better, I want to  _ be  _ better. You guys... You guys are my family.

“And I used to think that I... That I had to protect everybody I cared about by taking the bullet, that  _ one  _ person had to hold down the fort and push everybody up, even if you’re drowning. But family isn't like that. Your family always has your back, and when you start to fall, they grab your hand and fling you in the other direction, simply because you do the same for them.” Keith’s throat had begun to close up, but he knew he had to keep talking, because if he stopped he would most definitely start to cry. “Because they  _ know  _ you would do the same for them, even if you’d never said it.”

The room was silent, and Dominic peered up at his older brother, a constellation in the night sky, because he, in the short, fourteen years of his life, had never once seen Keith look so vulnerable.

“And I didn't say it, not even once, and when everything went to shit, I let you down. I let you all down, and I’m so... I’m so  _ sorry.” _

Silence was cast like a shadow, darkening the room around Keith as he wiped his eyes quickly; chest burning, a huge ball slowly rising in his throat as he struggled to get enough air into his lungs, waiting for the group’s final verdict.

Somewhere in front of him, Daniel slowly rose from his spot on the stairs, pursing his lips and descending them quietly. The room was quiet as he stopped at the ground, but never made any move to draw nearer to Keith. He didn't know what that  _ meant;  _ his brain was on overdrive as he desperately searched for any social cues from his peers to let him know what they were thinking, but he came up short.

“Flower,” Lance finally whispered, voice strained from not being used in days. “Come here so I can kiss you.”

Keith froze, eyes snapping to Lance’s gaze. He searched his face, looking for any hint of a joke or something similar, but was only met with his steady, immovable gaze, and Keith wasn't sure if that was worse.

But then his lips twitched into a slow, but sure smile - that familiar, heartwarming smile that made Keith’s breath die in his lungs as he took in his expression. “What, are you scared?”

He didn't know when his legs had began to move, but suddenly Keith was crossing the room, only focused on that shit-eating grin and that twinkle in his eyes and holy shit, they were kissing.

Lance cupped Keith’s face in his hands, smiling against his lips as Keith wound his arms around his neck, pressing even closer. Keith’s heart was beating out of his chest, blood rushing through his ears as Lance’s arms held his waist, keeping him steady as if Keith were a prized metal, or a tiny animal he still couldn't believe he was handling without somehow crushing it. 

They kissed softly, not unlike what Keith had expected it to be. With the way Lance’s fingers grazed the exposed skin on his waist, the older boy was confident Lance was enjoying the interaction as much as he was. As their lips moved as one, Keith tried to calm his trembling hands, but Lance reached up and covered them with one of his own, pulling away just enough that the boy in his arms could breathe again, as if suddenly realizing he had air surrounding him.

Their eyelashes fluttered from the dizzying, intoxicating feeling of the other boy’s lips on his own; almost becoming too much, and Keith pressed their foreheads together, smiling at the way Lance quickly retreated to press his lips to both of his temples, and then his nose, and finally his lips once more before Keith was released from his grasp, stumbling back slightly but refusing to stray any further.

Keith Kogane raised his eyes to look at his family, to  _ really  _ look, glancing from face to face. Natalia was making barfing noises next to Sebastián as he pecked Oliver’s nose. Daniel had been leaning against the wall, a soft smile gracing his lips as he observed his friends. The unspoken forgiveness in the air around him released the pressure that had been building in his chest, and Keith sighed, tugging a hand through his hair and wondering how in the hell had he gotten so  _ lucky? _

Dominic, who was just across the room, grinned wider than Keith had ever seen him, and once he noticed his older brother was gazing in his direction, he silently mouthed the words  _ “I’m proud of you”  _ back to him.

Despite himself, Keith felt a relieved, emotional laugh bubble in the back of his throat, and he leaned into Lance’s side before he would start crying like a little kid all over again. It wasn’t like the other boy really minded, as he easily laced their hands together and yelled something to Sebastián, who made a face as Natalia laughed, throwing her head back.

If you’d asked him a year ago how he thought his life would have gone, Keith would have probably compared it to something along the lines of Romeo and Juliet. Cute, romantic - the whole package tethered together with counterfeit love - before ending in death and sorrow and loss... and darkness. Complete, frigid darkness. 

But, now, as he felt those familiar tingles running through his bones as Lance tightened his grip, their fingers interlocked lazily as Keith dropped his head onto his shoulder while the other boy smoothed back his hair and kissed the crown of his head, he began to notice the light. It was subtle at first, just enough to flicker in occasionally and cause a prick of confusion, but then it crashed through him in waves, burning him and drowning him and electrifying the blood coursing through his veins and suddenly - suddenly it didn't seem so bad anymore. 

Sure, it came with eons of uncertainty and a newfound fear Keith didn’t know he’d ever even had the power to possess, but the two were pretty much a paid package. You couldn't have one without the other, and, even though his future had suddenly become a lot more risky and dangerous, it also held the promise of love and life and adventure waiting just over the horizon. 

As Lance hummed and whispered Keith’s name into his ear, voice low and certain before he lifted his chin up to capture his lips in another long, sweet kiss, Keith was struck with a strong sense of gratefulness. Fate may or may not have been integrated throughout his life - and if it was, it had sure taken its time toying with him - pushing waves of uncertainty about the future through his mind again and again, but... in that moment, he found that he didn't quite care. 

Because, after all, his life was no longer that of Romeo and Juliet. It was just Keith and Lance, and though they may not have had the most textbook, romantic happily ever after there ever was, it was  _ their  _ happily ever after. It wasn't a tragedy, it couldn't have been, because he had his family right by his side, and they had his back  _ just _ as he had theirs.

And he would sure as hell be damned if he let anything happen to them ever again.

**_Fin._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and... that’s a rap. I appreciate everyone who’s stuck around for this long; I thank everyone who’s given this a chance. 
> 
> It means the world.
> 
> Have a good one.


End file.
